


Everything Changes but You

by ninjababy



Series: Everything Changes but You [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossdressing, F/M, Inspired by She's the Man (2006)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23818939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninjababy/pseuds/ninjababy
Summary: A modern AU where Byleth dresses up as her male twin to investigate injustice but also gets a little distracted when she starts having a crush on a certain someone.Inspired by the movie She’s the Man (2006).
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & My Unit | Byleth, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth
Series: Everything Changes but You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716205
Comments: 54
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Byleth infiltrates Garreg Mach’s Boarding School for boys and realizes this is going to be harder than it seems because she keeps freaking out at naked teenagers. p.s I named M!Byleth, Reus, since according to the wiki Jeralt’s middle name is Reus.

_ “I’m sorry, what?” Reus stared into his twin sister’s eyes. “You want to— _ what _?” _

_ Byleth, as serious as the day she was conceived into the world without a single cry, repeated herself. “I need to disguise myself as you, because I think…No, I’m certain the Weapons Club at your new school is cheating.” _

_ Reus sat himself down opposite her. “And you think I’ll agree to that because...?”  _

_ She cleared her throat. “Remember when my team lost the tournament,and dad thought I was inconsolable and gave me a lot of money to cheer myself up?” Reus nodded slowly, still looking uncertain of where this was going.“I’ll give it to you if you’ll let me impersonate you for a month. You’re grounded for being kicked out of school anyway. It all works out.” Her face was expressionless except for a bright spark in her eye.  _

_ Reus’s mind echoed, ‘You’ll never be able to go to that concert in the Adrestia.’  _

_ She could see the wheels turning in his head. Manuela, his idol,  _ **_his love_ ** _ was holding a rare solo concert in her home of Adrestia. And the money Byleth was offering him could pay for front row seats, a backstage pass and a more-than-decent accommodation somewhere.  _

_ As though to persuade him further, she added. “No one knows what you look like in person.” But her brother still hesitated. Byleth wasn’t about to give up now. She scooted closer and tapped his knee twice, a sign for when she’s excited. “You wouldn’t need to go to school for a month.” Silence. She chewed her inner cheek. “Come on, the timing is crazy perfect! Dad is away on another security assignment again, and it’s the school holidays for me now, too.” _

_ Byleth was initially dejected that her brother was going to school in another country, but she didn’t seem so anymore. Her school holidays in Faerghus’ Ladies Academy meant that the new school term would begin in Garreg Mach’s Boarding School for Boys.  _

_ Reus relented and groaned, “I hate you.” Byleth threw her arms around him with a gleeful yelp and they fell backwards off the plush stool. “You’re taking full responsibility for this. If I get kicked out of school again, you’re paying me for the rest of my life.” _

  
  
  


Sunday evening. Byleth sighed as she stood at the school dormitory reception, with some luggage piled behind her. No longer was she Byleth. From now on she was Reus Eisner. 

She closed her eyes tight and exhaled a steady breath. What had she gotten herself into? The plan felt solid in her head, but now, she wasn’t quite sure. Suddenly a hundred and one flaws seemed to present itself in her supposedly perfect plan. All she could think of was justice for her teammates even though they **insisted** it wasn’t her fault and responsibility. How could she not, as the team captain?

She straightened her collar and smoothed the front of her oversized shirt. The bandage around her chest was squeezing the breath out of her and the fake sock-bulge in her pants was terribly uncomfortable. Thanks to Mercedes, she managed to put this flimsy disguise together. It was a miracle no one had seen through it yet. Only one or two had thrown furtive glances her way. 

Byleth swept her ponytail over her shoulder. She had considered cutting it short to match Reus’, but had second thoughts. It had taken a year to grow it out. To be fair, some of the boys had longer hair than she did, like the kid she nearly stepped on in the corridor. His dark green hair covered the side of his face as he slept. Him being dead asleep in the corridor was apparently a normal thing. “Linhardt, you’re sleeping here again?!” A boy with blue hair berated the sleeping figure so loudly that she jumped. Linhardt barely twitched a muscle as she shuffled awkwardly around him, making sure to avoid knocking her duffle bag at his head.

After that strange encounter with the sleeping boy, she was faced with another ordeal. The real Reus had failed to mention that her sleeping arrangements involved other boys with raging hormones. Five almost scantily clad 18-year-old boys were in her dorm. Scantily clad, to her standards, was anything less than boxers and a shirt. And a third were thankfully _only_ half-naked from the waist up and casually strolling about. The others, well, she just had to imagine them as stuffed animals. With muscles and dangly bits in between— she shook her head. _You’re a boy now. You, too, have dangly bits. Made of socks. Ugh, get a grip Byleth!_ The room reeked of sweat and other male-associated smells. She held back the urge to wrinkle her nose or stare, and keeping a straight face, took one last deep breath of male-odor free air and strode in. 

Any normal teenage girl would be thrilled. But at this moment, Byleth was absolutely freaking out. 

“Hey!” Byleth stopped mid-step and shifted a weary eye towards the topless, red-head coming towards her. He was bare-chested.  _ Don’t. Stare. _ She repeated in her head like a mantra. Oblivious to her panic, he grinned at her and rolled his shoulder, flexing his muscles in the process. “You must be the new guy. We’d heard about your crazy ass fight with that dude that got you kicked out— _ ow!”  _ A pale hand smacked the back of his head. Auburn eyes settled on her over the scowling red-head. 

“Don’t mind him. He left his brains back home. I’m Felix, this idiot here is Sylvain.” Felix had his dark hair tied up in a bun instead of a ponytail like her’s. “Also, I hope you can put up with Sylvain’s…  _ gallant _ personality. He has a habit of ‘getting anyone standing next to him pregnant’.” 

“Now, who said anything—” Felix hit Sylvian in the face with a pillow before he could retort in defence. Byleth let out a nervous chuckle.

She cleared her throat to lower her voice into what sounded like a poor imitation of a young man oozing testosterone. “I’m a guy. What does it matter?”

Felix scoffed. “That’s never stopped him before.” 

Byleth’s eyes widened but she regained composure despite the obvious colour creeping across on her face.

“I’m Ashe!” A youthful face grinned at her from the back of the room. The silver hair that fell around his eyes moved as he waved frantically from his bed. She waved back. Finally, a normal person.

A figure approached her from the periphery of her vision. He was one of the first boys she saw as she entered the room. She trained her eyes on his golden locks that fell just over the clear blue eyes that complemented his hair so well, and  _ not _ on his broad, uncovered chest in front of her.  _ Goddess help me. _

“I must apologize for their behaviour.” She recognised this voice. Taking a better look at his face, she nearly recoiled from surprise.  _ He _ was part of the reason she was here, unfortunately or not, surrounded by hormonal teenage boys. “I am this dormitory’s assigned leader. Please, call me Dimitri.” Smiling, he held out his hand. She gripped it firmly and shook it once. “If you have any questions or troubles, feel free to ask me. I would be honoured to help.” He quickly slipped on a shirt. “Also, please forgive my indecency at our first meeting.” 

Dimitri. She would take care to remember that name. He was there that day when her Weapon’s Club lost the tournament. Anyone who didn’t know her would say she was a sore loser, but she had good reason to be. Her club not only lost the championship, but her team of four also had their chances of scoring a scholarship to the prestigious Garreg Mach University taken from them. It wasn’t as if they were terrible in the tournament—it was because something suspicious was going on in the background. And Byleth was set on exposing this injustice. 

A large, towering figure who was turning his bed down for the night, turned to her. His stoic features could rival hers. He looked like a tanned bear with cropped silver hair.

“That’s Dedue.” Dimitri gestured. Dedue the bear nodded at her. 

“Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Reus Eisner.” She tried her best to maintain her ‘manly’ voice, but forcing it to come out all raspy and deep was beginning to hurt her throat. More than anything else, she sounded like a prepubescent boy whose voice was cracking.

“Right, Eisner.” Her name trailed off his lips each time he repeated it to himself. “Have we met before?” 

She shrugged, “I do not think so.” It wasn’t a lie. Byleth indeed had met him, not Reus. 

Hate was too strong a word to describe what she felt about Dimitri. It was more of a distrust. The players weren’t involved in the scandal she was trying to uncover, but she needed evidence. Back at her Academy, nobody believed her. ‘You’re just upset at losing, Give yourself some time.’ Losing the game fair and square was one thing. But losing it knowing they could have had a glimmer of a chance at winning, by a slight of hand, was unforgivable. As team captain she promised her teammates they’d win, and that they’d receive help to go to university She wasn’t about to break that promise now. 

“-us?” A hand waved over her face. “Reus?” Dimitri’s concerned face peered down at her. 

Blinking, she reminded herself of why she was here and let her eyes wander the room, past Dimitri’s well-defined chest and shoulders.  _ There’s going to be more of this so focus, goddammit _ .

“S-Sorry. Um, which one’s my bed again?”

  
  


The next day, Dimitri, being the ever so helpful and charming dorm leader took her on a tour after school was over. So excited was he that he had put on his extra deep, ‘tour guide’ voice. One would think that he had given birth to the school from the way he gushed about and pointed out every detail whenever they came across a plaque, statue, or some room dedicated to some knight from somewhere.

“We will go back to the dorm first to retrieve our clothes. I intend to end our tour in the changing room, in time for our first meeting this term—for the Weapon’s Club, I mean. I heard from our homeroom teacher that you are interested?”

Byleth nodded, trying to speak as little as possible to avoid people noticing her not-so-manly-voice. 

Dimitri’s face lit up, but his expression quickly turned serious. “I am sincere in saying that I am delighted to have a new member so soon, as I am the Captain. But I must warn you, our coach is quite...”

“Grumpy?”

“Yes, ill-tempered is the word I suppose,” Dimitri said. She had seen their coach scream at them at the tournament. “That was a good guess, Reus.” 

She shrugged. “Lucky.” 

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “I take it you’re still interested in joining us?”

“Of course,” she said a little too quickly. “How else am I going to uh… release all my raging  _ adolescent _ anger?” 

Dimitri let out a deep laugh.

“Oh, that’s right. If you don’t mind me asking—” He cleared his throat. “I heard—well,  _ we all  _ heard that you are here because of a fight?” 

She hesitated. “Uh, yeah. But I don’t really remember what happened.” She wasn’t there when it happened, so  _ technically _ she wasn’t lying. “It’s all quite fuzzy now.” By the time she rushed over from her school next door, Reus was squatting against the wall in the principal's office, his bloody nose plugged with a tissue and an ice-pack pressed against his absolute mess of a face. His opponent or some say, victim, was glaring at him from the other end of the room. He was noticeably in a worse shape than Reus; his arm in a sling and a bandage around his neck. Her brother might have also mentioned that he bit the guy on the neck. 

“I know what you mean.” Dimitri nodded understandingly. “It’s a blur because sometimes all you can think about is,  _ don’t get hit _ .” He gave her a quick and sympathetic tap on the shoulder. 

She continued. “The ending was that, we— as in me and the guy I fought with— both got kicked out. Or as the school says,  _ ‘transferred to expand our horizons’. _ ” She did air quotes as they walked up a flight of steps, heading towards their dorm.

Dimitri touched his chin in thought. “Yes, but… if my assumptions are correct, you were immediately expelled after this unfortunate incident, were you not?”

“Yes.”

“If I may be so bold, I have to say the incident does not justify the heavy punishment you received.” He paused for a brief moment, watching her expression.

“I agree. Not that it matters now, though.” 

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri apologized. A pang of guilt stabbed Byleth because he looked like a wounded puppy. 

“Don’t be. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. It’s only been a couple of hours, but I already like it here.” She had to thank Reus again one day for getting into that stupid fight. “Besides, his—I mean  _ my _ old principal had the biggest stick lodged firmly up his behind, anyway.” 

“I’m glad your stay here has been a pleasant one, so far.” Dimitri threw his head back a little, laughing. She felt a strange squeeze in her chest when he did that. He looked like a prince. 

They opened the door to their dorm to see Ashe asleep above his covers. Byleth remembered him being up quite late reading a novel under his blanket. They got their things and quietly shut the door behind them. Byleth made an excuse about having a stomachache so she could change in the toilet stall instead of the boys’ changing room. It was the one chance to make sure the bandage holding her ample bosom was secured extra tight. If she was exposed now, literally, all would be for nothing.

“I’m done!” she exclaimed when she appeared next to Dimitri. 

He wore an amused expression on his face. “Done having a stomachache? No one had ever declared such a thing before.”

“Whoops, yes  _ that _ ! Yes, I’m done… taking a dump.” She shifted awkwardly. “Anyway, I thought I might as well get changed.” 

Dimitri nodded approvingly. “Well done you, very efficient.” 

He showed her around some more as they moved on towards their destination. Dimitri had a way of describing the purpose of each room they passed by mentioning a fond memory, like the one with the slightly different door handle. He was a bit ashamed about that in particular. He had broken the original handle by gripping it too hard when a person named Claude jump-scared him. Byleth looked up at him in a shade of horror. She shook her head free of the image of a monstrous Dimitri. This sweet, prince charming looking guy breaking a door handle? Impossible. She looked around as his voice faded into the back of her mind, immersing herself in this new environment, observing all the corridors, and the number of doors preceding their destination. If this couldn’t calm herself down, nothing else would. Panic threatened to surface each time someone took a double take at her. It alarmed her that nobody realised Reus Eisner was actually female. Perhaps getting this done within a week was not so impossible after all. The real Reus would be redeemed to some extent by taking all the credit, and maybe even allowed to go back to Faerghus. By the end of the year, she and her team would be attending Garreg Mach University with their scholarship. A perfect ending. 

“Incidentally, all the clubs share this room. It’s also connected to the shower room which we’re only allowed to use during club activities,” Dimitri explained in his tour guide voice. Byleth nodded despite not paying attention, too busy thinking about how much she needed to brief the real Reus when he came back to take his place. “For regular day-to-day showers, we’re encouraged to use the ones on our floor.” 

Dimitri opened the door to the changing room and Byleth was forcefully brought back to reality as by the pungent body odour that assaulted her senses. The smell of Byleth’s dorm room was a far cry to the mortifying sights and smells of the boys’ changing room. It was like being in the thick of a perfume factory, its workers semi-nude men, and their best seller being ‘Testosterone Dream’. 

She staggered a step back. The last time she saw anything remotely close to whatever flesh that dangled was when she and Reus bathed together as toddlers. She fled the room almost screaming before Dimitri could say anything. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Someone sitting near the door asked. 

“I… don’t know,” Dimitri answered, bewildered by Reus’s sudden exit. The poor boy probably had the runs again. He made a mental note to take Reus to the infirmary as soon as they were able. Dimitri wanted to protect this newcomer. What Reus went through—the unjust punishment that fell on him for a petty fight fueled a sense of parental protection in him. No matter what, Dimitri swore to look out for him as dorm leader.

  
  


Byleth groaned loudly as water hit her face and dripped down her chin and neck.

“I should have closed my eyes. I’ll never get **_it_** out of my mind now _.”_ She honestly didn’t remember it being so….explicit. Thinking about it sent shivers down her back. “Stop, Byleth. Don’t be a perv. You’re here for one reason, and one reason only.”

Byleth re-tied her chest bind, flattening it as much as she could, having dressed herself earlier in the school’s sports uniform and just in case; a large hoodie, hoping it would make her chest look like pectoral muscles.She slumped her shoulders obscuring her chest even more. Walking out of the bathroom she found herself in, she navigated herself back to the changing room. 

Byleth waited next to the door hoping to see a familiar face come out because she realised she didn’t know where the training room was.  _ Didn’t think about that before you threw yourself out, did you? _ She rolled her eyes. 

Ashe came running up to the changing room, his bed head sticking up at odd angles. He whizzed past her but did a double-take when he saw her looking lost. 

“Reus! Sorry, didn’t see you. Can I help you?” 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know where I’m supposed to go for the Weapons Club meet.” 

Ashe flashed her a huge smile, “Don’t worry! Just gimme a sec, I’ll get changed and take you. I’m a member too!” Byleth thanked him profusely as he went in. While changing Ashe wondered how did such a nice person get expelled for fighting, of all things. 

“Sorry sorry!” Ashe burst out the door, his hair even messier. There weren’t many people in there with him. 

“Reus! I was getting worried about you.” Dimitri emerged behind him and closed the door. “If your stomach ache is that bad, I could take you to the infirmary for some medicine.” 

Byleth looked at him, puzzled. “Stomach ache?”

“Is that not why you ran out just now?” 

Ashe let out a gasp. “You have a tummy ache? I have some meds in my bag actually—” 

“ _ Oh yes _ ! I was, um, in the toilet, that is correct.” Byleth turned to Ashe to stop him from retrieving the medicine. “But I’m good now! No need to worry about me. Because I’m a man.” She pursed her lips, tightening it into a taut smile.She would need to keep up with her lies if she was to pull this whole thing off. “I had thought it was, but it was just... _ flatulence. _ ” She wasn’t used to talking about a fart so openly with acquaintances, although this was better than saying  _ ‘I saw a bunch of penises and ran out screaming because I’m actually a girl’. _

“I totally get’cha. False alarms like that are terrible.” Ashe agreed. “It’s so embarrassing too!” 

Byleth snorted. What a genuine soul. She felt a little guilty for lying. No _ ,  _ she had to toughen up, she told herself _. _ She was here to investigate an unjust act, not make friends. 

“That’s good.” Dimitri let out a sigh of relief. “I’d hate for your first day at a new school to be so dreadful. I would personally feel responsible, as I am your dorm leader.” Byleth’s pulse quickened. Despite her purpose of not making life-long comrades at this school, she was grateful for someone watching her back. To have finally met Dimitri after all this time of just shaking hands at the end of every competition. It was a shame he couldn’t recognise her, since the Byleth he shook hands with was female, not the boy he’s feeling protective over now. She kicked the dirt beneath her, the wonderful elation in her chest flattened. 

The three chatted as they walked a short distance then turned a corner, out a giant door and into a big open space. Byleth was again drawn into this new space, taking in the differences and comparing it with her own school training hall. 

Coach Kostas was late, which was apparently normal. Nevertheless, the efficient Captain Dimitri had them all prepped with warm-ups and some extra drills. In between running and push-ups, Byleth found out while chatting with the other members that her new roommates Dimitri and Ashe, along with two other boys, Raphael and Caspar had been part of the main team that fateful day. She only vaguely remembered their surnames on the board during the battle and their faces were a little hard to place when they were decked out in full armour. But she knew them now. 

Chatter died down suddenly. Coach Koastas strode in and the air became heavy as the students scrambled in front of him. Byleth squeezed herself into one of the rows.

“Alright, you useless brats,” Coach Kostas yelled. “Let me make something clear, just because you won the championship last term doesn’t mean you’re on the regular’s roster this term.” He eyed them. “And you’re not going to see a dime of that scholarship unless you win all the championships this year. As for you newbies, don’t even think you stand a chance at being on the roster.”

Byleth’s fists balled at her sides. Her anger fumed as Coach Kostas continued demeaning his players and threatening them with withholding the prize money. Confusion. Disgust. Contempt. Questions swirled in her head. This Coach had absolutely no right to blackmail them like this or to keep the money. That should have been against the rules. Any rules! 

Byleth’s previously chirpy mood flew out the giant door she came in. She really needed to get a move on obtaining evidence. Not only was there foul play during the tournament; he was withholding their winnings. 

Something snapped loudly behind her. A wooden blade, now in two, splintery pieces dropped to the ground. She turned around and gulped. It was a solid piece of wood.

Coach Kostas sneered. He walked over to Dimitri, shoving a few boys out of his way and stood right in front of him. “Well, well. If you’re not happy with how I do things  _ Captain _ —” He spat. “The exit’s that way. And pay for the sword before you leave.” 

“I’m very sorry Coach.” Dimitri rose to his full height and looked down at him. Eyes narrowed and feral. “I seemed to have lost control of my strength for a moment there.” The normally polite and pleasant Dimitri wasn’t there. His eyes were dark, intense and had a tinge of violence in them. 

“Since you’re so unhappy, you’re up first.” Coach Kostas jabbed a finger into Dimitri’s chest, unbothered by his sudden change of nature. “Let’s see if you’re still worthy of being Captain.” 

Byleth remembered the way Dimitri fought in the tournament. She was his opponent and their match ended in a draw; he was elegant and controlled, but this? His whole demeanor emitted a murderous vibe. To be honest, Coach Kostas had turned out to be an even bigger jerk than she thought. 

Ashe and Sylvain sat themselves next to her. “You look concerned, Reus.” Ashe said. 

She shrugged. “Dimitri feels...different.” 

Felix grunted, crossing his arms and leaned against the pillar. His eyes were like a sharp, cold blade slicing through their conversation. Ashe and Byleth kept quiet.

“That’s because you’ve never seen the Boar’s real self before.” he said. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri is going insane trying to remember where he’s seen Reus before.

“Boar?” Byleth looked up at Felix still staring at Dimitri. 

“The Dimitri you see every day is an act. _This_ is the real him.” Felix nodded at the battle in front of them. “Well, not entirely either. This is quite mild, actually.” Byleth shuddered. Mild? She made a mental note to not get on his bad side. 

“We grew up with him, you see.” Sylvain chuckled, as though reminiscing a fond memory. . Ashe added that this was a rare sight for him too, even though they have shared a room for almost three years. “All the best, pal.” Sylvain gave her a light punch on the arm as she stood up; she was up next. 

Oh boy.

Byleth was confident in her skills, which was why she thought they could win the tournament. She watched him bring his weapon down on his sparring partner with sharp accuracy, and gulped. Dimitri was only using a wooden sword, but it looked as though it would break from the sheer force of his grip alone. He didn’t say anything as the last student he crushed limped away, nor when she positioned herself in front of him. 

The timer sounded. Dimitri’s sword swung down at her shoulder, his strength monstrous. She parried at the last second. Shockwaves vibrated through her arms, threatening to buckle her knees. Her previous experiences with him were unreliable now. His patterns were erratic and relentless, combining sword play with other fighting styles. Unpredictable. Byleth’s mind raced to catch up with her survival instincts now roaring in her ears. Blow after blow were wearing out her arms and shoulders. She couldn’t defend forever. Byleth landed a few attacks, but Dimitri blocked them easily. Breathing was difficult with the tight band around her chest, and overexertion might expose her secret if the chestbind gave way.

She was sensing a pattern emerge from Dimitri’s erratic attacks. If she timed this right, she might just make it. Dimitri jabbed at her. An opening at his ribs! She side-stepped and channelled her strength into her one swing, hoping to end it all. But she was suddenly lifted off the ground, and let out a yelp. Dimitri was held back by Felix, yelling at him to stop, and Ashe trying to calm Dimitri down.

The congregating crowd stood silently as the dust settled. 

“The match is over.” Sylvain released his arms from around her waist, and her knees buckled. Sylvain caught her arm before she hit the ground, asking if she was alright. Byleth raised a weary hand, waving him away. She took three deep breaths. Her head grew faint and her heart was ramming against her chest binds. It had only been a couple weeks since the tournament and her last spar. Was she already that out of shape? No. It was Dimitri and his crazy strength. She cast a sidelong glance. Felix had already let go of him. Dimitri wasn’t smiling, but at least the murderous intent in his eyes was gone. Dimitri approached her and held out his hand for a shake. Beads of sweat trickled down his face and eyelashes. 

“That was a good match. You’re a worthy opponent, Reus.” She took his hand and pulled herself up. 

“Likewise, Dimitri.”

As soon as they both walked to their benches to rest, the murmuring started. And Byleth found herself staring at the timer. It recorded just over ten minutes, but their fight felt like several seconds.

Dimitri had intended to give himself a minute to wipe down his body and quench his thirst, but Coach Kostas grabbed his shoulder and swung him around. “You’re not done Blaiddyd!” He smirked. “Oh no, you’re today’s punching bag. You’re only done when I say you’re done!” 

He opened his mouth to protest but decided against it. His anger seemed to have triggered something cruel in their coach. Nobody should have to suffer because of his inability to control himself. “Yes sir.” He let out a small sigh as soon as Coach Kostas turned his back. Sylvain managed to quickly squirt some water into Dimitri’s mouth with his squeezy bottle before jogging back to the center of the hall.

Byleth clicked her tongue watching Coach Kostas. Poor Dimitri, she thought as she melted into the bench beneath her. Sweat was pouring out of every pore in her body. 

“That was intense!” She almost leaped out of her skin. The boy named Caspar had planted himself next to her. She nodded but placed a hand on her head to steady herself. 

“You tell me, bro.” 

Caspar gripped her shoulders and shook it. “Dude— the way you threw Dimitri off when he smashed his sword down on you was _so cool!_ ” 

Byleth couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thanks man! But as you can see, I’m beat. Almost literally.” 

He slapped her on the arm and laughed with a twinkle in his eyes. “Oh, come on, you don’t have to be so modest! The name’s Caspar! I’m not good with names, so what’s yours again?” Byleth rubbed the spot Caspar slapped her and introduced herself as Reus Eisner, and returned the friendly gesture. 

“I know—let’s go jogging sometime together! We can start tomorrow morning at five A.M!” Caspar said in one breath. “How about I come to your dorm at four?” Before Byleth could answer, Caspar ran off to prepare for his round against Dimitri. He was so enthusiastic she couldn’t help but feel his excitement rub off on her, but her heart sank at the thought of getting up earlier than usual. And if Casper offered to bond as newly acquainted bros via the communal shower, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself.

Despite watching Dimitri for the past hour, Coach Kostas always stayed in her field of vision. The coach paid the match no attention, seemingly content with his phone. His thumb scrolled across the screen constantly as he grinned creepily to himself, and occasionally typed a couple of messages. 

Club meet was far from over when he stood up abruptly and marched over to Dimitri. It seemed the coach was incapable of speaking normally as he was either always rude, or screaming at them, like he was screaming at Dimitri before he stalked out the door.

Byleth slipped out the hall, hoping her espionage skill was enough to sneak after Coach Kostas undetected. She followed him down the empty hall, keeping against the walls and in the shadows. Heart pounding, pulse deafening. To her delight, she followed him to his office, not too far from the training grounds. But it would be quite the trip to make from the dorms. Sneaking after curfew would prove difficult. Even the office door still used the old lock and key. Problem after problem. It looked like she would have to consult the internet on how to pick a lock.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” 

She spun around. Cheeky, green eyes gleamed back at her. Suddenly painfully aware of her posture which was anything but suspicious, she straightened herself. Fully expecting some form of punishment for trespassing, she frantically came up with an excuse. But it didn’t matter what she wanted to say, the words turned to air when it came out of her mouth. However, he started laughing at her. 

“Don’t look so scared!” He croaked. She yanked him down into her corner and hushed him. 

“I’m not supposed to be here.” Byleth whispered. 

“Nobody is—it’s off limits for regular students.” The dark haired boy with the small dangling braid pointed at one of the signs nearby. She smacked her forehead. No wonder there weren’t any students. 

“Hey, then you aren’t supposed to be here either!” She hissed. 

“Claude Von Riegan, Captain of the Chess Club at your service sir.” He smirked at her. “You look like you’re new here, so I guess you don’t know but we keep all our equipment for club activities in our respective advisor’s office.” He jingled the bag on his shoulder. “What’s your name again?”

“Uh… If I tell you, are you going to report me or something?” Her question made Claude chuckle, even more so as her expression was so serious. 

“I like you! So no. I won’t.” He stood up.“Besides, if I did - I’d never get to hear what you were doing here anyway.” He offered her a hand. 

Byleth studied his face and decided he wasn’t a threat even though his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes She took his hand. “Reus Eisner.”

“I’ll be damned, you’re _that_ new kid.” Claude raised an eyebrow. “The one that got expelled for fighting yeah? Phew, I can’t believe my luck! You gotta tell me what happened. Nothing like that ever happens here in Garreg Mach.” The door to one of the office’s swung open. Byleth’s heart rate shot up, remembering she wasn’t supposed to be here. 

“Relax. No one’s going to kick you out of school for just being here.” He said and peeked round the corner to see who came out of the room...or went in.

“You’re not the only one who trespasses here on the daily” Claude grinned. 

  
  


Dimitri dropped down onto the bench and emptied the contents of his tumbler over his face, further saturating his already sweat-drenched sports uniform. Sweet relief. It had been two hours since he started sparring and. His muscles were trembling with fatigue. Even though this was supposed to be his punishment, he enjoyed it. But relishing the muscular pain would have to wait. He had Captain duties to attend to. He pushed himself back up and gathered the other members for cool down, did a head count and noticed one person short. 

Dimitri knew exactly who it was but let it slide, making a mental note to confront him later. 

Cool down ended quickly and Dimitri had to return all the equipment to the weapon’s cabinet in Coach Kostas’ office. A few members offered to help but he wanted some time alone to reflect on his behaviour this afternoon. Besides, they had already taken the equipment out for him before training, so it was only right he returned it. He would’ve done it himself if he hadn't taken Reus on a school tour. Dimitri looked back and counted the number of wooden swords. A second round was needed to return everything.

_Disgraceful._ He sighed as he carried the wooden swords in his arms. _Losing your cool like that is reprehensible for a captain and dorm leader, what’s more on the first day of a new term. You deserved today’s punishment._ He chastised himself. Dimitri dreaded every step to Coach Kostas’s office. He felt like a child who was scolded and now had to face the same person who scolded him; awkward and embarrassing. 

Dimitri knocked twice and heard an irritated ‘What?!’ inside before he opened the door. 

“I’m sorry to intrude Coach, I’d like to return the—” 

“Ugh _you_ , j-just hurry up!!” Coach Kostas frantically clicked away on his computer, turning the screen away from Dimitri as the boy walked to the massive weapons cabinet next to the desk. The cabinet wasn't locked, but it was so old it would usually take a few pulls to open it. For Dimitri, all it took was one hard yank. 

“Get out!” Coach Kostas voice rose when he heard Dimitri close the cabinet, “But sir there are still—”

“ _Now!_ ”

“Yes sir.” Dimitri held a sigh and only let it out when the door shut behind him. He could still hear Coach Kostas grumbling behind the door. He’d have to keep the rest of the wooden practice swords in the dorm then return them after the next meeting. It was strange why their Coach was in such foul mood, and that it had only gotten worse after the tournament. 

_I should not be having such thoughts about our Coach. In fact, I should be helping by not causing him problems._ He nodded to himself and he felt himself being watched. 

He looked behind him and saw a pair of green eyes peering from the shadows of an unlit corridor. He glanced around for anyone else and called out.

“Claude?” Claude walked out of the corner he was hiding in and to his surprise, Reus emerged as well. 

“Why, if it isn’t my favourite club captain! Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd!” Claude gave him a quick squeeze. “About time you got here! I had to babysit this nice, young man for you.” 

Dimitri snorted. “Yes Claude it’s good to see you too.” 

Claude was about to return his things but spun around and turned to Reus. “Hey! I never got to hear what you were doing here anyway.” 

“I wanted to have a word with Coach, but he didn’t seem to be in a friendly mood.” Reus answered flatly. Dimitri noticed this to be his default face. 

“By sneaking around?” Claude grinned. Dimitri raised a brow. Was Reus sneaking around? To be fair, he did sneak out of practice.

A sheepish smile formed on Reus’s lips. “He was in a foul mood so...I was waiting for an opportunity when you caught me.” 

“Alright you got me.” Claude shrugged and smiled. But Dimitri knew that look being classmates before, Dimitri knew that smile meant Claude was up to something. 

“Well, don’t lose him again, I won’t always be around to rescue him.” Claude winked as he sauntered into Professor Hanneman’s room. 

“I’m sorry I wandered off,” Reus said suddenly as they started walking back to the training grounds. 

Dimitri stopped and shook his head. “N-no, the fault is mine. I was not being a reliable leader that you needed to follow Coach all the way here. I would be happy to convey any messages for you.” Time to make amends for his behaviour now. 

Reus raised an eyebrow. “Even after getting screamed out of the room like that?” Dimitri chuckled sheepishly.

“You heard that, huh?”

“I’m pretty sure the whole school did.” Reus took a step forward but then looked back. “Actually are you okay? I mean during training you weren’t allowed to rest, a-and I’m new so I don’t actually know what Coach is actually like.” 

“Thank you for asking, I’m fine really.” Dimitri was touched. “As for your question, that's a little... _complicated_ but the short answer is not really. He had always been harsh, yes, but after the tournament he’s been quite a bully.” There was a beat of silence between the two of them. 

“But,” Dimitri continued, “Today’s Coach was a direct result of my misbehaviour. I’d like to apologize for that.” He bowed slightly. 

“Don’t say that.” Reus’s big mint-coloured eyes darkened. “Your reaction was appropriate, and regardless - no one deserves to be spoken to like that.” 

“Reus…” 

“From what I’ve seen you’re a great Captain, so don’t beat yourself up.” Dimitri couldn’t help but smile and Reus’s face turned red for some reason. It must be that hoodie he was wearing. It was an intense workout and it was hot too. Reus pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, his eyes scanning it for information. 

“We’re supposed to be having our free time now?” Dimitri nodded. Reus stuffed the paper back into his pocket. “I left my stuff back at the training grounds. Do you mind if I went to get it?”

Dimitri smacked his forehead. He had forgotten he too had to keep the training swords safe until the next time he could gain entry into Coach’s room. “Yeah. Sure. I mean of course, yes.”

On the way, Dimitri explained some of the rules, such as where to store their equipment, until they arrived at the empty training hall. He scooped up the remaining wooden swords as Reus jogged over with his and Dimitri’s bag slung over his shoulder, offering to carry a few swords. 

“Oh don’t worry, I can manage.” 

“By the way, was that the same Claude that made you break the door handle?” Reus looked up at him and smirked.

Dimitri gulped and turned his flushing face away. “Yes.” Reus started giggling and Dimitri’s cheeks turned an even deeper red. “Oh go on.” He relented, and let out a chortle himself. 

“Actually, I didn’t think it was humanly possible to break a door handle. But after what I saw today—well, colour me impressed.” Reus gave him a friendly elbow nudge. 

Reus’s words caused Dimitri’s mind to fall back to thinking about why he snapped. Of course, it was about the scholarship money their team had _‘won’_. This was another thing that had Dimitri’s stomach in knots. Although he was eligible for the scholarship being on the team that day; it didn’t feel right. It was strange as their team was a couple points behind but by some stroke of luck, the referee had pinned some silly error on their opponent team and deducted points, which meant his team won in the end. 

Deep down, some part of him knew that error didn’t exist.

  
  


Poor Reus had woken up the next day completely sore, yet still managed to go jogging with Caspar. Reus didn’t even take a shower because he took such a long time to walk back to their dorm. Dimitri’s guilt shot through the roof at this point and profusely apologized, showering the smaller boy with an assortment of ointments and pain relief gels. 

It had been about three days since their first, official Weapons Club meeting. And there were a few things Dimitri had noticed about their new dorm mate, Reus. He consistently refused to get changed with them, or shower together in the communal shower room. Instead, preferring to shower alone in the middle of the night—said he wanted some ‘privacy’. And he always only used the toilet stalls instead of the urinals to which he said he had a very active bowel. 

Sure, some people were a little shyer than others. But this was an all-boys boarding school. Getting naked and showering together has some sort of magical power to bond people together. However Reus would walk all the way to the bathroom just to change a shirt. Speaking of which; Reus’s uniform didn’t fit him very well, either. His blazer, shirt and slacks hung on his petite frame. Which was strange, seeing as their uniforms were always tailored to their exact sizes. But he gave Reus the benefit of the doubt—they only had 2 terms left in school so it could’ve been a hand-me-down. 

When Dimitri asked his fellow dorm mates what they thought about Reus’s strange conduct, Dedue deduced that he probably has scars he wasn’t comfortable with. Sylvain joked that he might be a woman who was so in love with Sylvain that he came all the way to see him. While Felix wouldn't give a damn. Ashe was just happy the empty bed in their dorm was finally occupied, although he did agree Reus felt familiar, he shrugged. 

Nevertheless something still deeply bothered Dimitri about Reus Eisner. Everyone knew he was kicked out of his previous school for fighting. Reus was indeed a fierce fighter, demonstrated by their weapon’s club meets, and was proficient no matter what weapon was thrown at him. But there was no sign of such a person who’d start a fight willy-nilly. Reus was pleasant, amiable and very calm. Dedue-level calm, in fact. 

He felt like he knew Reus from somewhere and it was all Dimitri could think about. So much so that during breakfast this particular morning, Dimitri kept his gaze constantly fixed on Reus’ long mint hair tied up in a ponytail, and occasionally studying his features. His mint green eyes were noticeably large and eyelashes, long than the average boy. He’s really pretty, that’s for sure.

“Can I help you?” Reus’ voice snapped Dimitri back to reality. “You’ve been staring at me.” 

“Ooh, into the new kid are we?” Seated opposite Dimitri, Sylvain wiggled a finger in his face. Dimitri spat out his cereal, bits of it landing on the people sitting in front of him, most of it on Reus. Felix rolled his eyes so far back he could probably see his own brain, while Ashe sat unfazed, shielded by the book he was reading. “O-oh I’m very sorry!” Dimitri pulled a pack tissue out of his blazer pocket and was ready to clean his breakfast off Reus but he merely dusted it off his shoulder. “It’s cool.” 

“So you _do_ like him.” A large smirk grew on Sylvain’s face as he leaned on his elbow and flicked bits of food off his blazer. He, too, had been blessed with some of Dimitri’s cereal. 

“Sylvain! I’ll have you know, unlike _you_ , I do not form romantic attachments with individuals this fast!” Dimitri declared so loud, even Lorenz sitting three tables away stood up to see who it was proclaiming their love. “Nobody’s confessing to anyone. Sit down you idiot.” Claude, at the same table as Lorenz, pulled him back down.

Sylvain held his sides in fits of laughter and gasped for air. “You take everything so seriously Dimitri—” he wheezed “—It never gets old.” 

Dimitri all but blushed, and continued what was left of his cereal. Reus frowned for some reason and gave him his apple. “It’s the least I can do for making you fall in love with me before 8 am.” Oh no, not Reus too. even Dedue managed a smile.

Sylvain, who had finally calmed down, snorted and gave Reus a hard pat on the back.

“Are you not on Facebook?” Ashe said a moment later and looked at Byleth as he tapped on his phone. “Or Instagram? Twitter? Snapchat? I can’t seem to find you.” 

“Nope.” 

“ _No._ ” Sylvain gasped with dramatical flair as his eyebrows rose high on his forehead. “In this day and age?” 

“Yup.” 

“Even Dimitri has his ancient Facebook account from when we were what, twelve?” That he did. Dimitri was sentimental about it; it recorded his growth from when he was younger. Like a timeline of sorts. 

“Hell, even this grump!” Sylvain declared and earned a glare from Felix. But Reus kept shaking his head. “He—I mean, _I_ did have one, but I kept getting really dumb messages and friend requests because of my expulsion. So, I deactivated it.” The table ooh-ed and aah-ed. “Plus it wouldn’t look good for future employers to see such things, but not that it matters since everyone seems to know I got kicked out.”

“A wise decision,” Dedue said. Dedue was so quiet most of the time the group sometimes forgot he was around even though he towered over all of them. 

Dimitri’s heart sank, he hadn’t thought about looking for Reus on Facebook to see if they had any mutual friends but now it seems he didn’t have the chance at all. Dimitri receded back into his thoughts as Sylvain, Ashe and Felix expressed their awe at Reus. This curiosity was now clawing at Dimitri’s chest. It was as if he had watched a movie, recognized an actor but could not remember where he had seen him before. Worst, this actor supposedly had no IMDB profile or any sort of digital record. It was positively frustrating— 

“What’s wrong, Dimitri?” Dedue asked, breaking Dimitri’s chain of thought. He realised his brows were so furrowed that when he relaxed his gaze his eyes felt weird.

“O-oh. It’s nothing. I was just thinking how familiar Reus is.” 

Dedue frowned. “Again?” 

“I know I should probably let it go, but this feeling keeps coming back to me.” Dedue hummed in response and Dimitri leaned on his elbow, his gaze returning to Reus. Dimitri was normally good with his memory. He never forgot names or faces. But this? This was positively maddening. He observed Reus as he chatted, the way he controlled his laughter by covering his mouth, or the way his face fell back into a blank stare whenever he wasn’t talking. Reus wasn’t very expressive, Dimitri noted. But there were subtle movements in his face whenever he did choose to express himself.

The school bell rang indicating the end of breakfast. The group disposed of their rubbish and returned their trays. At their lockers they stashed away their phones as it wasn’t allowed during school hours. Coincidentally, Reus’s locker was on top of Dimitri’s, which was annoying as he kept growing taller and taller, making reaching or bending down a pain in the back, literally. 

“Sorry.” Reus muttered when he reached over Dimitri as he was squatting down, grabbed a few things and tossed his phone in before shutting it. 

In class, Dimitri had just set himself down and pulled out his pencil case, neatly arranging it as usual when Dedue who was walking to his desk, stopped at his place. 

“Maybe Reus has a brother or sister?” he said quietly.

“Brother or sister…” The words rolled out of Dimitri’s lips. Dimitri didn’t notice Dedue walking away because it finally dawned on Dimitri as the school bell rang a second time. 

_A sibling._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU OMG FOR READING THIS FARRRRR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you want the latest chapters, I originally posted this on my blog!! https://geeknabe.com/fanfiction/everything-changes-but-you/ I normally update about every 1-2 weeks eheh. Anyway, I promise the story gets better XDXD


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth cuts her hair and finally gets started on her investigation but people keep getting in her way.

That same Thursday morning as Byleth was in the middle of class, Ashe’s social media question suddenly made her realise something grave. While she had decided to not cut her hair as she deemed it unnecessary, now it seemed otherwise. Reus had short hair and that meant someone was bound to recognize him from a school magazine or something of that sort. 

The real Reus called her just as she was retrieving her phone after school. She quickly grabbed it from her locker, hiding the name flashing impatiently on the screen. Despite changing the name from ‘Reus’ to ‘Byleth’, paranoia still beset her. 

“So, what’s it like being me? I bet you hate it already.” Byleth could hear the amusement in his voice. She had ran all the way to the greenhouse hoping it would be empty. 

“Well, aren’t you telepathic. You’re right. I hate it.” He laughed. It was mid-afternoon and Reus sounded like he had just woken up. “How’s the concert?” 

“It’s tomorrow night, but I’m leaving tonight just in case. I don’t want to miss even a second.” Byleth hummed a reply as she touched a nearby leaf, feeling its texture between her fingers. “How’s your investigation going?” He asked. 

“Hold on.” She poked her head out from amongst the plants and decided the coast was clear. “Not good, I’ve been trying to sneak into the Coach’s office but only club captains, dorm leaders or class reps are allowed on the teacher’s floor.” Byleth cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered. “Plus I’ve been trying to shadow the security guards to know their schedules. Based on their log book at their checkpoints, they’re not very punctual but it’s within a set timeframe.” Her eyes darted round the greenhouse, looking out for any movement. 

“As expected of you, By. So I assume your plan is to sneak in at the dead of night.” Reus’s voice was just as serious as hers. “Have you surveyed the area at that hour yet?” 

“Of course—it’s when I take a shower.” Bath time for Byleth was an extreme sport and another reason why she wanted her hair short. Being naked and jumpy in an all boys school was a terrible combination. “They don’t have shower stalls here; it's one big open area with shower heads in the center. I told the guys I only shower at night because I needed some privacy and they think I jerk off.” Reus laughed. “Which is a good thing so they don’t barge in, at least the guys in my-I mean  _ your _ dorm don’t.” 

“They sound nice.” 

“They are, and I feel horrible about all this lying and sneaking around.” 

“Do what you must. I believe in you. I’ll even get you a souvenir from the concert.” Just then, Byleth heard some rustling. She carefully poked her head out of the bush. The greenhouse was silent but she couldn’t take any chances.

“I gotta go,” Byleth whispered as she tiptoed into another corner. 

“Be careful. My ass is on the line.” 

“So is mine. Oh wait, wait!” 

“What?” 

“Why did you get into that fight anyway? Everyone keeps asking me about it and I’ve been having to keep pretending that I don’t remember.” Byleth’s voice lowered into a hush. “I wanted to ask but then you got expelled and everything happened so fast.” 

Reus hesitated long enough to elicit a ‘Hello?’ from her. 

“That guy I beat up apparently saw you that one time you came over to visit me.” He cleared his throat. “He said, ‘your sister's tits are so big I’d like to...all over it.’” Reus had omitted a couple of words but Byleth had a good idea what it was. It touched her that her brother had risked his education for her dignity. “So...you bit a guy because he was talking about my boobs? Wait, you  _ did _ bite him, right?”

“That, I did.” Reus sounded quite proud. Byleth was tucking a lock of hair behind her ear when she remembered her now urgent mission. 

“Could you send me a selfie right now? I think… I may need to cut my hair.” Saying it outloud to someone else made the decision feel real. 

“Byleth, are you sure?” She was very reluctant to cut her hair, but the stress was too much. It was hair and it would grow back, besides it wasn’t completely short. If she remembered correctly, Reus himself had a mop of thick messy hair that went past his ears. 

“I don’t think I have a choice at this point. I’m already garnering suspicion as it is.” Byleth resigned and accepted her fate. “Anyway, I have to go, for real now. Send me pictures of the concert—on second thought, don’t. Just in case someone asks.” 

They both said their goodbyes and hung up. Three seconds later her phone buzzed, and in a few taps she was looking at her twin. She let out a small laugh, she was right; he had just woken up. 

Her next challenge was finding a barber. Too near the school and they’d recognize her. Too far and she wouldn’t be able to make it back before the school gates closed. She glanced down at her digital watch, club was about to start and she wasn’t even changed. Byleth sprinted back, flew up the stairs and when she burst into the dorm, she crashed into Dimitri standing in  _ just _ his briefs. He barely budged as Byleth stumbled back, her hand instinctively holding her head where it made contact with Dimitri’s solid chest. 

“Sorry,” she muttered under her breath. 

“Please, it’s my fault for standing at the door.” Dimitri attempted to reach out but Byleth waved his hand away. “I’m alright. Your bed is by the door anyway.” She kept her gaze fixed on the floor while shuffling to her assigned closet, and grabbed her training bag . As she was about to exit something dropped out of her bag. Byleth turned around to pick it up and to her horror, it was her spare chest bind rolling towards Ashe’s feet, who picked it up. 

“Are you injured?” Ashe frowned at her with worry. His shirt was unbuttoned, exposing just a glimpse of his chest. Byleth snorted. Ashe would need to put in extra effort to come close to Dimitri’s— wait, what? 

Byleth blinked at him. “I-injured?” she looked down when Ashe handed it back to her. She felt like kicking herself. She had been using a bandage to wrap her chest and sweet, innocent Ashe thought she was hurt. 

She shook her head, “It’s… just in case I need it.” Ashe nodded furiously. “I have a mini first aid kit in my bag too!” He beamed at her and she couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Sorry, I’m gonna go change, then meet you guys at the training hall.”

“Oh Reus, the changing room is full. Almost all the clubs have activities today.” Dimitri was slipping on a pair of gym shorts. She averted her eyes from his chiseled chest.  _ Goddess, help. _ She swore it was as if Dimitri and all the other boys here were purposely getting naked just to rile her up. 

“I’ll just change in the bathroom then,” Byleth said nonchalantly. She was about to open the door when Sylvain walked in. 

“Oh hi Reus.” He tapped her on the arm, then turned to the others. “Lemme tell you guys—” He threw his book bag on his bed and shrugged off his blazer. “The changing room is still so goddamn full on Thursdays. Why does the chess club even  _ need _ to change?” Sylvain began undressing himself. He started ranting and Dimitri explained in earnest, saying they probably wanted to wear their club T-shirt as a sign of camaraderie. Before Byleth could set eyes on another nude male and bleed her nose, she slipped out of the room. 

Byleth’s anxiety peaked during training. With Coach Kostas being his usual toxic self, it was painful to watch him treat Dimitri like dirt and insulting students who didn’t perform well. It came to the point where a handful of new and old members had already quit. So far, Coach hadn’t suspected anything and had kept his attention solely on tormenting Dimitri. She was determined to quickly get to the bottom of this mess in hopes of helping somehow. 

It was a little past 11.30pm and her dorm was dead asleep. Byleth was almost lulled to sleep by the gentle snores from her dorm mates when she forced her eyes open. She gave herself a good second to adjust to the darkness as she had done every night for close to a week, tumbled out of bed and staggered down the dimly lit corridor. 

She intuitively felt around the shower room wall for the light switch, and played around until she found the exact corner lit up. The shower room layout was the same as the club one and didn’t have a lock but Byleth had made a make-shift alarm at the first door consisting of a few shampoo bottles she found laying around.

Her vigilance was at its peak at this hour but this was also her favourite time of the day when she could unwrap herself. She looked at herself in the mirror, observing the bruises caused by the tightness of her chest bandage. Byleth had gotten used to this sight by now, and she didn’t have time to admire it; she had to cut her hair  _ and _ shower. 

_ Well I’m not going to be a hairdresser that’s for sure. _ It was messy at best but she wasn’t going to risk any more time being topless. She’d have to live with it and get it sorted out when all this was over. 

It wasn’t much but it made a world of difference in terms of washing and drying her hair. She walked as fast as she quietly could back to her dorm and drifted off to sleep as soon as her damp head hit the pillow. 

Dimitri typically rose early and was the dorm’s human alarm clock, as was every other dorm leader. Claude, for example, preferred to blast an annoying song every morning on his bluetooth speaker to wake his mates up, which the entire dorm could hear, incidentally. Hubert, the other dorm leader would stand at the center of the room and clapped a maximum of 5 times to wake them up. But Dimitri was a gentle alarm clock, and would turn on the lights, personally go to each of them and give them a gentle shake. 

Some of them took several rounds of shaking, and by some he meant Sylvain. This morning when he went over to wake Reus, his heart stopped for a second as he did not recognize the short haired figure sprawled out on Reus’s bed, arm slung over their eyes to block the light. 

“Why the hell are you hovering over Reus like that?” Felix groaned from his bed as he sat up, eyes squinting at the morning sunlight. 

“G-good morning, Felix! I was merely assessing who this person is. I’m quite certain Reus has longer hair.” 

The person he stared at stirred. Familiar mint eyes stared back at him. “D-dimitri?” 

“Reus! My apologies but... did you cut your hair?” Reus peered at him through sleepy eyes and stretched as he mumbled, “Yes, last night.” 

Reus yawned, rubbing the back of his head. He asked if it looked bad. Dimitri shook his head. “Not at all! It could use a bit of clean up, though. May I recommend the place I normally go to? They charge reasonable rates for students.” 

“Um, It’s fine. I’ll live with it,” Reus croaked. Dimitri watched as Reus slid off this bed, grabbed his clothes and shuffled out the room to change as per his daily routine. He still had not asked about Reus’s sibling, even though he had prepared material to show Reus that he knew his sister. 

Their day continued like it did for the past five days, today being Friday. Students were allowed to leave the school during weekends as long as they were back by 7pm for dinner. Most of them visited the local town of Garreg Mach, at the base of the mountain their school was on top of. 

Strange as it might seem, each time Dimitri tried bringing up the whole sibling thing with Reus, someone else would always be speaking to him. It was as though a Divine power prevented Dimitri from approaching the boy. 

Clutching the newspaper cutting he had of the tournament like a child holding a newly finished drawing, he slid off his bed.  _ Right, I’m going to ask him now- _

“Reus.” Dedue approached the boy just as Dimitri was about to. “I am quite confident in my skills in trimming flowers and other delicate things. If you’d like, I could help correct your hair.”

“Oh, Dedue  _ thank you _ .” Reus’ eyes lit up. “Where do you propose we do this? Should I get my towel?” 

“Yes, that would be wise. I’d suggest we head to the shower room to facilitate easier clean up.” Dedue waited as Reus grabbed his towel and they both headed out the room. 

Dimitri groaned. 

  
  


Byleth had accepted Dedue’s offer so fast it totally slipped her mind as to where they were doing the haircut. As it was after school, the shower room was unfortunately bursting full with boys at different stages of nudity. She kept her eyes absolutely fixed on the floor, so focused on counting the number of tiles that she bumped into Dedue when he stopped. “Sorry,” she murmured. 

“Please stand here.” Dedue gestured at a specific spot as he whipped out a pair of scissors and adjusted the towel she brought on her shoulders. “Do you have a preferred hair style?” 

“Not too short, I guess? Just balance it out, please.” Byleth heard the door swing open as she kept her eyes shut. 

Every second felt too long and was a torment. She heard nothing save for water falling on the tiles and her own pulse, praying to the Goddess Sothis to keep her eyes protected. She settled on focusing on her heartbeat and thankfully, before she knew it, Dedue was done. 

“It is finished,” he concluded. “Thank you for cooperating. Please have a look and I’d appreciate any feedback and complaints.”

Byleth leaped back when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She was nearly identical to Reus now. “You should be a celebrity stylist,” she commented, adjusting her hair parting. Dedue smiled and nodded at her compliment. 

“Thank you.” 

Remembering where she was, Byleth thanked Dedue again and quickly excused herself. When she got back to the room, she was greeted with compliments from her dorm mates and even Claude, and spent the rest of her free time researching lock picking on her phone until the dinner bell rang. 

“I’m going to turn in now.” Byleth stretched when the group had finished their first round of board games. They all groaned and tried to persuade her to stay but she was unswayed. 

Tonight was the night. She was going to break into Coach Kostas’s office and begin her actual investigation. Most of the teachers had either gone back to their real homes for the weekend or were out. She had surveyed and memorised the security guards movements for close to five days now, and had her modified lock picking kit ready; made of bent bobby pins and a torch light she brought from home.

She did actually fall asleep until she heard the door open. Their voices were loud but she heard Ashe go, “Shh, he’s sleeping.” From then on though, her eyes were wide open under her blanket as she reviewed the security guard’s schedule in her head. Byleth had to be at the office by 1:25 am the earliest and gone by 2:15 am before the guards rounded that area again.

When it was time, Byleth quietly slipped out the dorm. Even if her dorm mates had heard her go out, she hoped they’d assume she was just taking a shower. 

The cool breeze felt good on her skin and her head was lighter thanks to her new haircut. It was a shame she couldn’t enjoy such a refreshing night out. She pulled out a makeshift map she had drawn with notes and times scribbled all over, lifting up so that the moonlight shone through it. Byleth was right, from the wall she was sticking to, the security guard had just finished his round at the teachers’ floor. She crept in the dark until she came to Coach Kostas’ room.

Byleth took a deep breath as she stood at the door. “Right, there’s no turning back now,” she whispered to herself as she held the torch light between her teeth and got to work. It was taking her longer than she wanted to with constantly having to refer to her phone balanced on her knee. And the drool dripping from the corner of her mouth didn’t help at all.

Suddenly footsteps echoed in the distance coming her way. In a panic she fumbled to turn off her torch light and dropped one of her bobby pins.  _ Shit _ . She was about to scamper into a corner when— 

“Reus!” Crap, it was Dimitri. What was he _ doing  _ here? 

“There you are! You weren’t in the shower room and I was worried you had gotten lost.” This over-protectiveness of his was beginning to annoy her. “I must speak with you.” She let out a long breath through her nose. “ _ Now _ ?” She turned on her torch light and walked past him to look for the bobby pin she dropped. “I’m kind of in the middle of something right now.” 

“It won’t take a minute I promise,” he said, unfolding the newspaper cutting he brought along with him. “Please have a look at this.” Dimitri pushed the crinkly paper in her face. “Please tell me if this is your sister?” He pointed at the small figure standing in the group picture. He was seemingly oblivious to her crime. Her adrenaline levels were so high she was unfazed even as she stared back at her own face.

”You came all this way, looking for me in the middle of the night, to ask me  _ this? _ ” Byleth pursed her lips.

“Everyone kept getting in my way whenever I wanted to ask and—” She silenced him with a raised hand, and said yes. Dimitri did a small fist pump. “I knew your name was familiar! You are the spitting image of your sister. Can I safely assume you are twins?” 

“Yes.” She kept searching for her pin until she found it… It was already 1:35am and it appeared Dimitri was not going to leave her alone, as nice as that sounds, but she had a mission to accomplish and precious time was ticking.

“I was unable to sleep as I had been waiting to ask you this the whole day,” Dimitri said as a matter of factly, carefully folding his newspaper cutting back into his cardigan pocket. 

Byleth nodded absentmindedly as she stuck the bobby pin back into the keyhole. 

There was a pause before Dimitri spoke up again.

“Um, Reus? May I also ask why you’re picking the lock to the coach's office?” She groaned. Dimitri had finally realised. “Dimitri, you’re going to have to  _ swear  _ you saw nothing tonight. Okay? It’s a long story and I don’t have time to explain but I can assure you that I’m not stealing anything valuable,” she said without looking at him.  _ Click. _ “Finally!” Byleth hissed in victory as she stood up, her legs feeling a little cramped. 

“This isn’t right! I must stop you— ” He grabbed her wrist but she forced her way in anyway, dragging him in with her. 

“Dimitri,” she said sternly. “If you want to stop me, do it. But know that if you do, there won’t be anyone who will bring Coach Kostas to justice.” She locked the door behind them.

“Reus, what are you talking about?” Dimitri’s eyes furrowed. She ignored him and fiddled around the ancient desktop on the floor for the switch. She smirked when the computer whirred to life.

Byleth was hoping that Coach Kostas was a typical old man that didn’t log out of anything and left a digital trail. To her delight, he even left his Facebook logged in. She was going through every single conversation he had, almost forgetting Dimitri was standing behind her.

“Reus— ”

“Shh. Dimitri please— ”

“ _ Reus _ .” Dimitri’s voice was stern now. He put his finger on his lips and nodded at the door. Footsteps. She froze.  _ No, no. The security guard isn’t supposed to be here for another 30 minutes! _ Hearing the nearing footsteps she quickly closed the browser and forced the computer to shut down by holding the power button down. 

She stood up, scanning the room for a place to hide but was yanked into a small, dark and cluttered space. Dimitri had pulled her into the weapon’s cabinet behind the coach’s desk and somehow managed to close it without causing too much of a ruckus. 

A second later when they heard the handle rattle; it was Coach Kostas himself cursing the lock for being faulty when he came in and kicked the door shut. Keeping her breathing as steady and quiet as possible, she peered through the slits in the metal door and squinted in the dark. Until she realised the warmth and weight on her chest. 

Dimitri’s face was pressed against her. Now she wasn’t sure if her raging heartbeat was due to adrenaline or that a man had his face on her flattened bossom. She prayed hard that he wouldn’t wonder about its softness. Byleth was sort of sitting with her back against the wall of the cabinet, while Dimitri was in between her legs and his arms on either side of her head. He couldn’t sit up either as there was some gear hanging precariously over his head. 

They held their breaths inside their hiding spot, and could hear Coach’s mumbling. He didn’t reveal much despite talking to himself, slurring a little. He sounded drunk. “I’ll never get tired of looking at all this cash. Ah—those stupid kids will never see this money. They don’t need it anyway. Rich brats. Heh, I’ll just say the university revoked it. Or, maybe gave it to another team. Dumb kids.” At this point her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and she looked down into Dimitri’s eyes. He looked back at her in alarm. Coach was still browsing and clicking away when the security guard came over to chat with him. “Here again? Man you really work hard,” the security guard said. “I’ll work whenever I want so buzz off,” Coach yelled. 

Byleth wasn’t sure how much time had passed but it felt like forever since Coach left. They had waited for a while to really make sure the coast was clear. 

Dimitri was the one to initiate their escape, pushing the door to the cabinet open. He promptly removed himself off her, offering her a hand, and she grabbed it and tumbled out awkwardly, her joints and limbs stiff as hell. 

“It’s almost 3am,” Dimitri said, looking down at the computer monitor. “Did you know what’s happening? Do you know if coach's words were true?” He turned to her, his eyes serious. 

Byleth turned the computer on again. “We’re about to find out.” 

“Reus,” Dimitri’s voice was stern. “We’re alone now. Please tell me.” Byleth sighed, she might as well since the computer was taking some time to boot up. 

“My sister Byleth,” she said carefully, nodding at the newspaper cutting in his breast pocket. “She was your opponent at that tournament.” He dipped his eyebrows. “Yes.” 

“She told me that she saw something go down before your scores were finalized. An interaction of sorts between Coach Kostas and the referee.” Byleth clicked on the browser and traced back the last pages he opened. “I’m here to investigate that. Me getting expelled turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Do you mind being on the lookout for a couple of minutes? I’m going to take some pictures.” He nodded, appearing to be in deep thought. She was disappointed that the banking page had been logged out automatically but she spent the next fifteen minutes reading his email and Facebook messages. He was very sloppy. Not even bothering to delete the evidence. Too easy. Hopefully, things would get easier from here on. 

“Okay, let’s go.” Byleth gave the place one last look before leaving and patted down her pockets to make sure all her stuff was with her. She pressed the lock from the inside and shut the door, giving it a few pulls to ensure it was locked. 

They sneaked back into their building with relative ease as Byleth knew the security guard’s schedule by heart. She was about to head into their dorm when she remembered she hadn’t taken a shower yet. 

“Sorry, I’ll just take a quick shower— ”

“Will you let me join your investigation?” Dimitri said quietly, his hand on the door handle. “I knew something was wrong that day, but I didn’t have the courage to act on it. I-I thought I was imagining things and to be honest, I was happy my team got the scholarship. However now…” Dimitri’s hand slipped from the door handle. “It’s not right. We didn’t win this fairly. Please, let me lend you my strength. I’ll take full responsibility if anything happens.”

“What about Ashe, Caspar and Raphael?” Byleth felt guilty all of a sudden. As much as her team were the rightful winners, to pull the rug so abruptly from under these boys didn’t sit right with her either. 

Dimitri buried his face in his palms. “I...don’t know. I guess we'll have to take it to the authorities and see how it goes from there.” He sighed. 

She smiled at him. “Thank you. I have to get my towel and It’s late, we’ll start our planning tomorrow.” 

Byleth was unexpectedly more exhausted than she expected as the water gushed down her weary body. She decided to skip washing her hair and dragged herself back to bed, but not before sending the pictures to Reus, Dimitri and storing it on her Google Drive as backup. Password protected of course. Dimitri was already fast asleep when his phone buzzed on his nightstand, indicating the pictures had been received. 

This was the first time in days that she got to sleep in. But the rustling and background noises as her dorm mates stirred woke Byleth up from a restless slumber at 11am. She had been dreaming about the night before. She pushed herself up and reached for her phone, throwing a glance at Dimitri’s bed, it was empty. She checked her messages as usual and tapped on a group chat, ‘the Eisners’. It consisted of her, Reus and her father. 

She noticed her dad had sent the group a message at about 8am. 

Dad: he y reus hows ur new schol

Dad: schol

Dad: School

Dad: anyway had sum time off, 

Dad: comin to see you this sunday for lunch. styaing in hotel 

Dad: Wud lik to meet ur new principal on mon as well.

Byleth’s eyes grew wide in panic as she flew out of her bed, all forms of weariness gone. She threw on a pair of slippers while she quickly dialed ‘Byleth’. 

“Come on pick up, pick up,” she muttered as she jogged to the greenhouse and into the furthermost corner. 

_ ‘The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment please try again later, thank you.’ _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry if the formatting looks weird, or the tags dont match or like...everything is off BECAUSE IM DUMB AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO USE AO3 IM JUST WINGING IT OK
> 
> ALSO WTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM-JUST-IM NOT CRYING OKD SFLSDFKJHKH IM so freaking happy its making me DIZZY ALL THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS AND VIEWS HELLO I LOVE IT DSKJFHKJSFH 
> 
> and lastly, the latest chapter can be found here:
> 
> https://geeknabe.com/fanfiction/everything-changes-but-you/
> 
> I'm on twitter as well if you're interested ^_^: _marichanx


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Reus exhaust their twin powers to keep people from finding out their identities.

The voice on the other end of the call when she finally got through was cracked and sounded sore. “Mmm?” 

“Reus, check your messages,” Byleth hissed. The greenhouse was now her preferred spot for confidential phone calls. 

“Mmmgh.” Reus cleared his throat. “O-okay.” 

Byleth took this moment to scan the area for human traffic. Some of the plants had some water droplets which meant they had been watered and no one would come in for a while.

“ _ -ck, _ ” Byleth had heard the end of a curse word which perfectly summed up how she felt right now. “Reus, if dad sees me here, we’re both screwed.” 

“This was  _ your _ idea,” he said, his voice hitching up a pitch. 

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” She ran a hand down her face. “Do you think you could catch a bus later today? I’ll meet you at Garreg Mach town. There’s a shuttle bus that comes to the school a few times a day.” 

“And where are  _ you _ going to hide while I’m there?” She could hear him turn over on his bed. 

She blinked a couple of times, “I’m...going to pretend I’m visiting you and then pretend to go back to Faerghus, I think. Anyway, they have rooms here for parents who are visiting from out of town. I’ll see if I can book a room for myself or something.” 

“I  _ cannot _ believe this is happening, By.” His voice still sounded hoarse. “Also are these pictures from your investigation?” 

“Yes, please save it and if anything happens to me, it’ll be up to you and Dimitri.” She sat on a relatively clean brick, still in her PJ’s. 

“Dimi-who?”

“Dimi _ tri _ , he’s my-  _ your _ dorm leader. He caught me breaking in. Oh man do I have so many things to tell you.” Byleth stood up and she heard him groan again. 

“I’ll go book the tickets now. I’ll call you later.” 

“Wait!” She was about to end the call but remembered something essential. “Have you got any spare cash?”

“... Why?”

“You have to buy me clothes. I only packed  _ your  _ clothes, I couldn’t risk being caught with a bra. Speaking of, you need to buy me one, too. And some panties.” She chuckled out of pure disbelief as she said this. It was so surreal. 

“I  _ hate _ this. I knew this was too good to be true. ... I can’t believe I’m asking, but what’s your size?” 

“Uh, just get me a sports bra,” she said, a little shy. 

“I still need your cup size, how else am I going to describe how big your boobs are to the lady? As big as my head?” Reus snorted. She sighed and whispered it into the phone. 

“ _ What?! _ ” Byleth held the phone away from her ear. She repeated herself. “No, no I heard you the first time. Ahem. Do you uh… have a preferred brand? You do know that this is incredibly beyond me in terms of expertise.” 

“Think of it as training for when you get a  _ real _ girlfriend. Anything will do, we don’t have time,” she said, suddenly remembering to look around for eavesdroppers. There were students walking outside but they weren’t a threat. 

“Speak for yourself. Anyway, keep your phone on you. I’ll text if anything comes up,” Reus said, and they hung up. 

Byleth let out a long breath. Taking in the situation she was in, it was nothing less than shit. That’s right, she was in deep shit if it all went south. She checked the time and realized it was too late for breakfast, the cafeteria was preparing for lunch at this hour. No matter, she just had to get changed and prepare for Reus’s arrival later today. According to Google, Adrestia was a six hour bus ride to Garreg Mach town. They would go into a changing room somewhere and swap identities back. 

On her way back to her dorm she decided to get a room booked. 

“Hi, may I know if the guest rooms are available this weekend?” Byleth said, leaning over the counter where the R.A, or Resident Advisor was usually at. She noticed it was the same person who signed her in when she first arrived. 

“Why yes, of course! Is someone visiting you?” The RA asked.

Byleth squinted at the name tag, “Yes Mr. Alois, my sister. It’s just for one night, what are the rates?” He rummaged around a drawer and handed her a laminated piece of paper. She was relieved, it wasn’t expensive at all. “So nice of your sister to come and visit, just her alone?”

“My father is coming too but I think he’s already got a hotel booked or something. She’s coming a day early so...that’s why I’m here.” Mr. Alois nodded and leaned in. “We can always add an extra bed or mattress for a small fee if you’d like. It’s always nice to have family together!” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He smiled, gave her a form to fill up and asked for a small deposit, she realised she didn’t have her wallet on her and asked if she could come back in ten minutes. The R.A was very obliging about it. 

Byleth sprinted back to her room, hoping her dorm mates were decently dressed. To her surprise it was empty. She picked up a shirt, sniffed it and decided it was clean enough to change into. She retrieved her wallet and stuffed it into her changing bag and returned to complete the transaction at the R.A. 

While walking to the bathroom to change her phone rang. It was ‘Byleth’. 

“Hi  _ Byleth _ ,” she said loudly, “Can I call you back?” 

“By, bad news.” Reus ignored her. 

“I’ll have to call you back, I’m in the bathroom—”

“There are no more busses this afternoon or tonight. It seems everyone is returning home after Manuela’s concert. The hotel concierge told me the earliest bus they have left is at 1am and it’ll reach Garreg Mach town tomorrow morning at around 7am if the traffic is clear.” 

“Hold on.” She beelined into a stall, averting her eyes from the two boys using the urinals. “That’s cutting it too close.” She scratched the back of her head thinking of a contingency plan. “But… we don’t have a choice. Just get it.” 

“Already did. Just letting you know. I’ll text you when I get on.”

Evening came. Apart from hitting the gym with the gang, Byleth had nothing else to do but wait in anticipation for her brother. She retreated to the library to write down the timeline of events that happened from when she first arrived, as a reference of sorts for Reus when he came. She tried being as detailed as possible, writing the time and dialogue as much as she could remember. 

She sat crossed legged on the chair, her hand instinctively moving to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear but stopped midway when her fingers brushed against the buzz undercut. Her fingers curled and she brought her hand back down to her lap. She glanced at her phone again. Screen still dark. Time moved painfully slowly for Byleth, every second felt like an hour waiting for any news from Reus. 

Even waiting for the dinner bell to ring wasn’t this agonizing. 

“I forgot to mention this but my family is coming this weekend to visit me,” she said when there was a lull in their conversation at dinner. 

Sylvain sat up straight and leaned forward. “Right, who are your family members, and what are their genders?”

“My mum died when I was born,” she began. The atmosphere became awkward but she continued, “Who, I’m sure was a woman.” She smirked and they relaxed a little. “And my dad is a man and my sister...well, she’s my sister.” 

“Is your sister hot?” Sylvain and Felix asked at the same time. Felix rolled his eyes. “I knew you were going to ask that.” 

“Ngaaw, how did you know?” Sylvain nudged him.

“You don’t seem to know any other dialogue, apparently,” Felix said. Even Dimitri chuckled. 

“He’s right you know,” Dimitri chipped in. 

“Whatever,” Sylvain turned his attention back to her, “So is she hot, or not?” 

“Has it ever mattered to you before?” Felix spoke up again, this time not bothering to look at the red-head. 

A pause. “No, actually.” Sylvain acknowledged. “Either way, all women are beautiful, regardless,” he said proudly. Byleth was thankful she didn’t have to describe herself. She didn’t consider herself ‘hot’, just… normal. Hot, was Reus’s idol, Manuela. 

“It’s nice that your family is coming to see you!” Ashe said. 

“It is,” she replied, then groaned. “But my dad is here to see the principal too. About me, I guess.” 

“Principal Rhea is a busy woman. I wonder if your father will be able to see her?” Dedue said. 

She stuffed a spoonful of Pheasant Roast dribbled with Berry Sauce, into her mouth. “Oh I’m sure he’ll manage. I think they’re acquaintances or something.” 

“So then why’s your sister coming?” Felix asked. 

“Uhh—” Byleth wiped her mouth with her sleeve. “To check on me I guess? My dad wasn’t around when I got into that fight, so my school had to call the nearest relative and it happened to be my sister. That feels like a whole lifetime ago,” she said. The fact that she was here now, masquerading as Reus was so surreal and equally as scary.

After dinner she spoke again with Mr. Alois the R.A and told him her ‘sister’ wouldn’t be spending the night, explaining that she had taken a midnight bus, and so instead of letting her deposit go to waste she decided to sleep in the room. She texted their group chat that she wouldn’t be back in the dorm that night. 

Byleth was almost tempted to just permanently pay for this room forever; it had been a week since she took a proper shower, and it felt so good scrubbing every single inch of her body. It was risky but she decided to sleep with her chest unbound and the freedom felt strange, almost sore even. 

Byleth fell asleep feeling refreshed and exhausted at the same time, her hair dry for once. Until she was rudely awoken by her buzzing phone. She squinted at the screen, ‘Byleth’ had texted her the bus number plate and told her he was on it. She tossed her phone under her pillow and drifted back to sleep.

Earlier she had set her alarm for 6am to prepare before picking Reus up from town. Suddenly waking up, she checked her phone. It was five minutes to 6am. Byleth forced her eyes to adjust to the brightness in the dark. The last message she got from Reus was  _ ‘Traffic is bad, might reach late. Will message when at Varley.’  _ According to the schedule, his bus should’ve arrived at Varley, the town before his Garreg Mach, about an hour ago and should have been on their way there by now. Worry rose in her chest, despite exhaustion forcing her heavy eyes to close again. 

Her alarm rang and Byleth reluctantly rolled out of bed, was ready by 6:30am and dropped the room keys in the check-out box. Securing her backpack, she ran to the entrance of the school where the earliest shuttle bus would come at 6:45am; it would take almost an hour to reach the town. 

Bus after bus dropped their passengers off. As efficient as she was, there was still no Reus in sight. She was about to call him at 7:15am when he called her instead. 

“Just reached Varley. The bus driver says it’ll be another two hours before we arrive. Goddess I hope dad is late as usual.” Reus sounded worried as well. 

“I’m already here, so don’t worry. Did you get the stuff?” She sat up from the seat she had been slouching into for the past hour. 

“Yeah uh, I don’t know if it’s your style but it was on sale and cheap so…”

“Sure, sure.” They hung up. Again, time went by in slow motion for Byleth. She was afraid to move from her spot for fear the bus might magically appear. Or that if she walked away somewhere she’d miss Reus. 

Another hour later she got a message from her dad in the group chat, 

_ Dad: at rest stop in Oghma  _

_ Dad: will b ther at 12. Hope ur cafe food is gud. Am starving. Meet me at entrance _

She left him on  _ seen _ , almost replying as Reus before deleting her unsent message. Reus’s bus finally reached at 10am, when he emerged on the bus she leaped on him, in both panic and affection. He looked back at her in pure confusion and awe. 

“Holy shit, you _ really _ look like me, it's scary.” He looked at the back of her head, observing the clothes she was wearing; his clothes. 

“Yes, I know. Now come on we have to change, dad’s going to be here any minute.” She dragged him by the arm into a small cafe and ordered a drink to use their bathroom. 

Reus pulled out a paper bag from his duffle bag and Byleth quickly inspected the clothes he got her. 

“You got me this?” She lifted up a black tight fitting T-shirt that had a huge cut out in the middle of the chest area that didn’t cover much. “You do remember the reason you were expelled right? You beat a guy up—”

“For looking at your tits— _ I know _ .” He snatched it back from her. “I got you something else.” He rummaged through the bag. “Here.” Reus handed her a white tank top that ironically covered more than the first option he got her, a beige cardigan ‘ _ to cover up,’ _ he said, a black pair of shorts and black lace tights. 

“Hey these look good, but I’m surprised you didn’t just get me a  _ normal _ T-shirt and jeans.” She nodded at the skimpy looking blouse he got her. It didn’t look too bad, but she didn’t dare imagine the chaos it would cause in an all-boys school if she wore it. 

“Yeah... no. If I dressed you too similarly as me someone might recognize you. Had to make you as feminine looking as possible. But _ that _ particular one was too revealing. I went to a different shop and the sales girl was really helpful,” Reus said, proud of himself. “Oh I got you a sports bra as requested. And some panties. Now that was awkward, the lady thought I was buying it for my girlfriend. Wanted to sell me some  _ strings _ instead.” He shuddered as he pointed inside the bag. She laughed. 

Byleth was grateful the bathroom was clean and somewhat spacious, even though she had half a mind to toss the tights, it was too chilly to not wear them and soldiered on. 

She emerged as a completely different person and handed the clothes she wore to Reus. Byleth somehow managed to do a small half-bun held up by some pins to differentiate herself more from her twin, seeing as they had the same hairstyle. 

They waited for the 10:45am shuttle bus to the school, and on the bus Byleth handed Reus the note she made for him, the one that recounted her experiences over the past week. 

Arriving just as the clock struck noon, they ran back to the dorm, Byleth going with him so that he could dump his luggage there, under the pretense of ‘leaving my sisters things here first while we wait for my dad’. From habit and forgetting she was Byleth again, she led the way and opened the door to the dorm and walked right in as her, or rather Reus’ dorm mates were changing into their gym clothes, she was immune to this sight by now. They weren’t, however.

“Miss! This is the boy’s dormitory!” Dimitri cried, hastily pulling up his shorts, Sylvain, Felix and Ashe following suit to cover up. Dedue was already dressed. 

Her eyes widened and she looked down at herself.  _ Crap I’m a girl again! _ “Sorry! I was uh—”

“Hey, sorry my sister got lost on the way back from the toilet, I’m leaving her stuff here until my dad gets here.” Reus, the real Reus moved in front of her and walked to his bed, kicking the luggage underneath it. Byleth had drawn a small map of everything for him, including his dorm. 

“S-sure.” Dimitri spluttered. 

“Nice meeting you, Reus’s sister!” Sylvain yelled as Reus closed the door.

“They have no idea, do they?” Reus said as a matter of factly, he let her lead the way back to the school entrance.

“I hope not,” she replied, “By the way, uh...do you think we should tell dad what’s happening?” 

He looked at her in alarm. “What? Why?” 

“I’m suddenly feeling… guilty for lying like this and for potentially getting you in trouble. I already have my evidence anyway-”

“After all this? By, you’re seeing this to the end. As for dad, I don’t know. He didn’t exactly take it well on the phone when I was expelled.” 

She sighed, “I mean, dad was upset at how the school treated you more than you getting into a fight. We’ll see how it goes. He might even know something is up, you know how he is.” 

Reus slung an arm around her. “Yeah. You’re doing the right thing...the wrong way.” They both chuckled. 

Ten minutes later, they were swept up in their father’s arms. “We’ve missed you too dad…!” Byleth said, gasping for air. “Dad this is embarrassing—” Reus was hugged even tighter.

“Oh come on, give your old man some slack, I’ve not seen the both of you for two months! It’s really nice to see you both. Especially you, Byleth! I wasn’t expecting you at all.” Their dad released them, “And you cut your hair!! Man, I’ve not seen the two of you with the same hairstyle since you were still bathing together!” He laughed. 

They started walking towards the cafeteria, with Byleth discreetly leading the way. 

“Reus, I’m sorry I wasn’t here in person for the whole thing, I-I really couldn’t get away—”

“S’okay dad, really. I had By with me here.” 

“Well, at least you’re settling in good. I have to thank Rhea for accepting you,” Jeralt said. 

“And you, kid!” He called out to her. “How’re you taking your uh...defeat? I hope you didn’t spend all that money in one place!” He teased. Byleth and Reus both threw a sideways glance at each other. 

“I’m coping, I guess?” she said. “A-anyway I hear the food is decent here, right Reus?” 

“Oh yeah, totally. I uh really love the uh…” Reus elbowed Byleth.

“Gronder Meat Skewers!” she blurted out, “You said it was good huh? I wonder if they have it today.” 

As they entered the cafeteria, ordered their food and sat down, Mr. Alois the Resident Advisor yelled, “Mr. Eisner?!” The three of them looked up, including Byleth who quickly looked down. She heard her dad grunt. “Not this guy,” he muttered under his breath. 

“Dad, you know him?” Byleth asked.

“Used to.” Jeralt forced a smile and stood up as Mr. Alois walked over. 

“Mr. Jeralt Eisner! It’s really you! I thought I’d  _ never  _ see you again!” Mr. Alois took Jeralt’s hand and gave him a hug. 

Jeralt gave the beaming man an awkward pat on the back, relieved there weren’t many students in the cafeteria to witness this. “Yeah. Uh, thanks for looking after my son.” He gestured at Reus, who despite his lack of expression was absolutely confused, Byleth noted. It was the subtle movements in his face. 

“I knew your name was familiar, young man! Ah, I see your sister has safely arrived too. How wonderful to meet your family!” Beaming, Mr. Alois patted both her and Reus’s shoulders. “What did you order? No- No matter, I’ll just ask the cashier and pay!” 

“Alois, no—And, he’s gone. ... What?” Byleth and Reus were giving him the  _ ‘What the hell is going on’ _ look. Jeralt groaned. 

“This is why I didn’t want to come here.” He sighed. “Alright, alright. I used to work here as head of security, it’s where I met your mother. That guy, Alois, used to work with me. And then I got married, you guys were born, your mother died and here we are.” 

“But you said you met mum while rescuing her from a dangerous situation!” Byleth accused, and Jeralt guffawed, shaking his head. 

“You mean you didn’t?” Reus asked.

“ _ Technically _ , I did.” Jeralt wiped a tear from his eye, “She was investigating a coworker misappropriating some club funds and he got violent when she confronted him in the staff room. Ah, good times.” Byleth sat up straight; her situation sounded eerily familiar. Reus seemed to be thinking the same as he made eye contact with her. 

“So is that how you managed to get me a spot in this school so fast? Actually, why didn’t you enroll me here from the start?” 

“Yes, and to be honest, this place has too many painful memories for me. But seeing as you needed to go to school somewhere after  _ that  _ happened, I pulled some strings.” Jeralt shrugged. 

Their meal arrived, much more than they had ordered and Jeralt chalked it up to Alois adding to their order. 

A while later, Sylvain appeared behind Reus and squeezed Reus’s shoulders in greeting ”Hey Reus!” Both Byleth and her brother turned around. “You ass, you didn’t say your sister was hot!” She quickly turned away and nearly spat out the piece of meat she was chewing, Sylvain was flirting with her in front of her father _ and  _ brother. That’s some balls of steel. She prayed Reus wouldn’t beat the crap out of him like he did the other guy. 

To her surprise, Reus chuckled. “Dude, I bit a guy for saying shit about my sister.  _ Of course  _ she’s hot.” Byleth’s face turned so red even Jeralt started laughing. 

“Hi Mr. Eisner, I’m Sylvain Gautier, I share a dorm with Reus here.” Sylvain extended a hand as he winked at Byleth, who was still looking away, for fear Sylvain would recognize her. ‘ _ I never forget a woman’s face’  _ was what he said once. It would be wise to avoid him if she wanted to pull this off.

“Nice to meet you young man, do join us.” Jeralt returned the handshake. 

“Sylvain, why did you run off like that!” Dimitri said as he caught his breath, then straightened immediately upon seeing Jeralt. “Oh my apologies, you must be Reus’s father, I’m Dimitri.” Dimitri bowed. “I’m sorry about Sylvain Reus, I hope he hasn’t done any damage to your sister’s….virtue…” Byleth turned around at Dimitri’s voice, whose speech trailed off when they made eye contact. She noted his cheeks turning pink. 

“Too late, he already said she’s hot.” Reus smirked, Byleth was pleased Reus was blending in so naturally, as if he really did spend the past week with them. Felix emerged and elbowed Dimitri, who snapped out of his daze.. “Sorry about these two idiots, Mr. Eisner. I’ll get rid of them.”

Jeralt let out a throaty laugh, “Don’t worry! Please join us, there’s far too much food for just the three of us.” 

Sylvain wriggled himself out of Felix’s grip and quickly sat down next to Byleth. “I can’t say no if you insist like that, Mr. Eisner.” She stood up and excused herself to the ladies. Sylvain let out a small whine when she rejected his offer to escort her, just in case she got lost. 

The ladies toilet was situated outside the cafeteria, near the greenhouse which was where she bumped into Dedue who was about to turn into the cafeteria for lunch. 

“Sorry,” Byleth said, avoiding eye contact with him. 

“I am sorry as well,” Dedue said but then didn’t move from his spot, she could feel his gaze bore a hole in her. “Please pardon my boldness, but are we acquainted?” 

“Don’t think so.” She continued to avert her eyes away from him. “W-where’s the bathroom? For ladies, I mean.”  _ Of course the ladies, you’re obviously a girl now. _

Still keeping his hard gaze on her, he gave her the directions, she said her thanks and briskly walked away before Dedue could deduce anything else. 

Standing in front of the mirror, she stuffed a hand into her bra and adjusted her breasts. Byleth felt a little uncomfortable wearing a bra after having her chest flattened for so many days. 

Walking back to her table, she saw that Dedue and Ashe had joined the others and were listening to her Dad’s stories about some of his ‘treacherous’ assignments. 

“How did you get out unscathed then, Mr. Eisner?” Ashe leaned in eagerly, Jeralt grinned like a Chesire cat. A glint in his eye. Byleth knew that look. 

“I didn’t kid, that’s how I got this scar here.” He tapped his cheek. “If I had dallied any sooner, I would say I would’ve lost half of my face!”

“Whoaa!” Ashe’s eyes lit up. “Mr. Eisner, you’ve gotta train us sometime!” 

“I agree, you seem more competent than that useless bag of meat that is our current Coach.” Felix’s lips twitched into a grin, the cunning type. 

“He did train us for the tournament though—oh, Miss Eisner!” Dimitri stood up so abruptly his chair fell backwards. 

“Oh, just call me Byleth,” she said, making sure it was as girly as possible and flashed him a smile

“M-Miss Byleth. Hello.” Dimitri sheepishly picked up his chair and sat back down. 

Sylvain was holding back his laugh as Felix hissed disapprovingly at Dimitri. “What’s the matter with you?” 

“N-nothing.” Dimitri covered his mouth, looking away. Still pink-faced. 

“Ah crap, I’ve gotta go check-in to my hotel now,” Jeralt said looking down at his watch, “You boys want anything else to eat? My treat.” 

They all looked at each other and shook their heads. 

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Eisner, but you’ve given us enough treats already!” Ashe said.

“Nonsense. Here, take this.” Jeralt shoved a card in Reus’s face.

“Order anything they want. You kids need to eat more to grow. Oh no, wait, that card is in overdraft.” He pulled his hand back and gave Reus another card. “I’ll come pick you guys up for dinner, yeah?”

“Thanks Mr. Eisner!” Ashe said. 

“No problem kid.” 

“Dad wait,” Byleth walked over to her dad as he was leaving. “Can I stay with you? I didn’t book a hotel room— ”

“Of course! Anyway I gotta go check-in and then I’m gonna take a nap. I drove all the way here, ya know. You want to come with me now?” 

“Um, no. I wanna catch up with Reus.” 

Jeralt shrugged. “Call me if you need anything.” 

Byleth took her seat next to Reus, who stood up to go order food for his ‘friends’. 

“I’ll come with you!” Ashe said.

“Allow me to come as well.” Dedue joined in. Reus turned back to look at Byleth, who mouthed a ‘good luck’ to him. As soon as they left the table, Sylvain scooted his chair nearer to her. If she wasn’t supposed to be undercover, she would’ve knocked his lights out. So persistent! Felix did warn her about it though. 

Sylvain opened his mouth but then closed it again. “Have we met?” 

“Yeah, about an hour ago?” Byleth said nonchalantly. 

Sylvain chuckled. “Right. I mean, I know you’re twins but damn you two really,  _ really _ look alike. Are you sure we’ve not met before?”

“I hate to say this, but I agree with this idiot here,” Felix spoke up. 

“I-I uh, I think we might’ve met her at the tournaments before this? Her team was our um... opponents for the finals,” Dimitri avoided making any eye contact with her. Good.

“Ohh!  _ Damn _ girl, I knew I’d seen you somewhere before! I never forget a girl’s face!” Sylvain pounded his fists on the table in glee.

“Hrmph. I see. Would you like to spar with me today?” Felix asked. 

“My man, that is  _ not _ how you pick up girls. This is why you’re single.” Sylvian patted the annoyed Felix on the shoulder. 

“You’re one to talk. You’re single right now.” Felix snapped back. 

“By choice!” Sylvain cried out. 

“Shuddup.”

Byleth let out a tinkle of a laugh, hoping to throw them off her trail. Please, let her appear feminine enough to not look like Reus. “I wouldn’t mind, but I’m afraid I’m not dressed for the occasion, nor did I bring the proper clothes. Maybe next time?” That said, she was feeling a little guilty, but also extremely amused that they hadn’t recognized her, yet. 

She couldn’t help but feel that the universe would prove her wrong, soon.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry if the formatting looks weird, or the tags dont match or like...everything is off BECAUSE IM DUMB AND HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO USE AO3 IM JUST WINGING IT OK
> 
> ALSO WTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE SUPPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM-JUST-IM NOT CRYING OKD SFLSDFKJHKH IM so freaking happy its making me DIZZY ALL THE COMMENTS AND KUDOS AND VIEWS HELLO I LOVE IT DSKJFHKJSFH 
> 
> and lastly, the latest chapter can be found here:
> 
> https://geeknabe.com/fanfiction/everything-changes-but-you/
> 
> I'm on twitter as well if you're interested ^_^: _marichanx


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This whole thing is running deeper than Byleth expected, and Dimitri’s emotions are all over the place.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Felix berated Dimitri as soon as the twins left the table. Dimitri’s blue eyes were still fixed on the table stain.

“I… don’t know, Felix.” 

“What do you mean you don’t know? You can’t  _ do _ that!” Dimitri flinched at Felix’s voice.

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow—”

“You can’t undress people with your eyes like that,  _ you animal _ !” Dimitri finally tore away his gaze from the table and buried his face in his hands. 

He did that, didn’t he? Undress Byleth with his eyes right in front of her brother, who incidentally had gotten expelled for fighting. 

For his sister, no less.

Oh god, what had he done? Dimitri’s face sank further into his palms, trying as he might to hide the fact that he had probably just doomed himself right then and there. Sylvain looked pleased as punch though; he was laughing so much he gasped for air. 

“I’d never thought”—Sylvain wheezed between chortles—“I’d see the day Dimitri ogle at someone like that—I can’t  _ breathe! _ ” Sylvain, laughing till his body shook the table, clutched onto Felix’s shoulder for support. The latter rolled his eyes in obvious contempt for the redhead gasping like a goldfish and Dimitri’s incompetence at handling the situation. 

Felix rubbed his temples. “I literally had to stop Sylvain from physically shutting your jaw when she was eating.” Dimitri had never wished for someone to strangle him more than ever. “So much for your,  _ ‘I don’t form romantic attachments this fast’ _ speech,” Felix mocked. Sylvain was already in tears. 

“To be fair, this is not the first time Dimitri has met Byleth so…” Ashe chipped in quietly. 

Dimitri looked up and nodded. “Y-yes! It’s not! It’s just you know, I uh….”

Sylvain leaned in on his elbow and smirked hard at him. “You fell in love at second sight?” 

“Yes—No! I did not fall in love with anyone!” 

“Not yet, you’re at the crush stage now,” Sylvain clarified. So overwhelmed with emotions was Dimitri that he didn’t know what was what. 

She looked different from the newspaper cutting he had and the camera didn’t do her justice. She was  _ much  _ nicer looking in person. It was his first time officially meeting Byleth asides from shaking her hands post-tournament—yet he felt like he’d seen that blank stare from somewhere else. Dimitri groaned. Just when he had gotten rid of this nagging sense of familiarity, it was back. 

Dimitri stepped out of the cafeteria into the veranda for some fresh air, while Sylvain and Ashe left to catch the shuttle bus into town. Hushed voices came from below. Dimitri’s eyes widened and his heart skipped so many beats he was starting to feel faint. 

From where he stood, he could see Byleth and Reus chatting on the brick steps outside the greenhouse. They looked to be deep in conversation and Dimitri couldn’t help but admire her serious expression. Again, the pestering feeling scratched at his chest. It was the same when he saw her eat. He cringed. Perhaps Byleth was not the observant sort to have noticed his impolite stares. 

“Are you alright?” Dimitri turned around at Dedue’s voice. He nodded. Dedue turned his attention to the greenhouse, and chuckled. “From my observations, I must agree with Sylvain and Felix. Your conduct, while unsightly, was a nice change.” 

Dimitri looked at Dedue in shock. “Truly?” 

Dedue nodded. “If you must, don’t be ashamed to strike up a conversation with her. From what I gather, she’s leaving tomorrow.” 

“After how I behaved? Dedue, I’m  _ this  _ close from throwing myself into the lake and—”

“Opportunities like this don’t come often for boys like us who attend boarding schools. I doubt Reus would mind if you approached her with tact.” 

“Honestly I was surprised he was so accepting of Sylvain’s blatant flirting.” He definitely wouldn’t do as much damage as Sylvain. Besides, he was just going to chat about… about their tournament together! Ah, he was thankful for a topic to discuss. He would, of course, focus on something or somewhere else that wasn’t her. He didn’t know where to put his eyes exactly. 

So he had a fleeting infatuation for her. But it would all go away once she left. 

He was sure of it. 

“Wow, she really is gorgeous in person and uh, very  _ endowed _ .” Byleth zoomed into the photo of Manuela on Reus’s phone. “They look real enough.” 

“Of course they’re real.” Reus scoffed at her. 

“How would you know?” She smirked, handing the phone back to him. 

“She gave me a hug and it— it hung naturally. I don’t know how to describe it,” he said woefully and Byleth regretted asking, nearly gagging.

Reus cleared his throat. “Anyway, you seem to get along well with the boys. And that Dimitri-boy seems to have a crush on you.” He grinned. “I mean, did you see the way he looked at you,  _ Miss Eisner _ ?” She slapped him on the arm. 

“Shut up, he doesn’t. He’s just… shy.” From the little she spent with him the entire week, she didn’t know Dimitri was capable of such a hot gaze. It made her heart beat funny.

“And  _ horny _ .” Reus let out a hearty laugh. 

Byleth used force in her punch this time, hitting Reus so hard on his arm he went sideways, which only made him laugh harder. 

“Why didn’t you punch him or any of them anyway?” She was genuinely curious at his behaviour today. Reus had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down at her question. 

“That’s because you’ve lived with them for a week. If anything, I thought you would’ve punched that Sylvain guy for flirting so hard.” 

Byleth cocked her head sideways. “Then why did you bite that other guy?” 

“Because you weren’t there to defend yourself,” Reus said as a matter of factly. “Actually, Sylvain is harmless. It’s Dimitri who seemed quite enamoured with you.” 

She let out a small grunt, but then suddenly remembered her night in the closet with Dimitri’s face on her chest, and his pale lips almost on hers the few times he moved within that terribly enclosed space. 

Her cheeks turned pink. Great, now she was feeling weird. 

“Like I said, he’s shy! I mean these guys live together, in an all boys boarding school! I imagine the opportunity to meet girls is rare.” 

“By the way, you haven’t told me about what happened during your investigation.” Reus tapped on his phone. “Did you get anything else besides these screenshots?”

Was Dimitri the shy type though? She tried remembering how he’d acted when they matched against each other during the tournament. Try as she did, all she could remember was Dimitri’s body warmth in between her legs—

Byleth shook her head trying to get the thoughts of Dimitri out of her head, baffling Reus. 

“Nothing? Really?”

“Sorry, I’m trying to remember. Let’s see now...” Byleth started explaining how she snuck out as usual, how Dimitri had followed her all the way just to ask her something trivial, and how she hid in a closet while the coach was drunkenly admiring the cash on his computer. 

“Where was Dimitri?” 

“Uh, hiding.” Byleth looked away.

“Yeah,  _ where _ ?” 

Byleth knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

“In the cabinet. With me.” Reus’s blank expression perked up slightly at her words. She rolled her eyes. “Nothing happened, okay? He was just—”

“How big was the cabinet?”

“Big enough for two people? I don’t know it was dark.” 

“So the both of you were in close proximity to each other. No wonder he’s all flustered.” 

“Reus, I was you. Dimitri doesn’t know I am or rather,  _ was _ you.” 

He smacked his forehead. “Did you accidentally kiss or something?” 

“No!” She hit him again. “What’s with you and Dimitri?” 

“He’s just so fun to tease!” 

She suddenly remembered his ‘Boar’ mode during their training and shuddered. “Mm, better not do it too much, he has a beast mode.” 

“Riiight, okay go on—Oh no, wait.” Reus looked over her shoulder behind her. He grinned. “Speak of the devil, this guy is relentless. Man, he’s going to figure out the truth soon if he keeps coming to look at you.” 

She turned her head and saw Dimitri striding towards them. Were his legs always so long? She shot Reus a glare for making her hyper aware of Dimitri, who just stared blankly back at her.   
“You have to discuss  _ it  _ with him,” she quickly whispered to Reus.

“Discuss what—ah, right. Gotcha.” He nodded slightly and Byleth adjusted herself to look all dainty and innocent. Nothing suspicious was happening here, just a couple of twins talking quietly outside a greenhouse in the hot afternoon sun. Totally inconspicuous.

“Yo.” Reus waved. “We were just talking about you!” 

Byleth almost laughed when Dimitri stopped dead in his tracks and his face drained of colour. He was so expressive it was endearing. 

Reus scooted away from Byleth and patted the space between them, inviting Dimitri to sit. But Dimitri didn’t move, the colour rushed back to his cheeks. Reus stood and forcefully sat him down next to Byleth, whose almost bare leg brushed against his as he sat. The spot where their skin touched burned, he emitted so much body heat it was as if Dimitri was a furnace.

“Are you okay?” She looked at him. “You look really red.” As if on cue his face turned even brighter than before. 

“I-I’m fine thank you, Miss Byleth,” Dimitri replied, his legs too long for the bricked step they sat on. He held his knees to his chest. He looked like a giant child.

“ _ Byleth _ ,” she corrected him and smiled.

“Sorry, B-Byleth.” He turned his face away from her only to be greeted with a smirk from Reus, absolutely amused by everything in front of him. 

“Relax.” Reus squeezed his shoulders. “Dude, these are some serious deltoids. Anyway, we have to talk about that night.” Dimitri looked at him puzzled. “The one me and you almost kissed in the cabinet.” 

It was as if her warning about his beast mode went in one ear and out the other. Byleth peeked from behind Dimitri to do a throat-slitting gesture at Reus, meaning both ‘cut it out’ and ‘I’ll kill you’. 

“O-oh. Um. Yes I have been meaning to speak to you about it as well.” Dimitri cleared his throat. “I assume your plan is to meet up with Principal Rhea about this?” 

“Um... well uh, y-you’ve been here longer, what do you think we should do?” 

Byleth had to admit, her brother was pretty good at keeping the act up despite not knowing what was actually going on. It even got Dimitri thinking hard about his question. 

“Based on these pictures you’ve sent me,  _ Reus _ .” She interjected, throwing a glance at him who looked appreciative. “Do you have any proof your coach plans to spend or withhold the money? I mean, you’ve only sent me pictures of his chats online with someone telling him to keep the money in his account. You could’ve taken some form of video evidence of this coach.”

“That’s a great question, By,” Reus said, almost glaring at her. 

“My sincerest apologies… Byleth, it wasn’t the most opportune time for us to do so. Plus…” Dimitri threw a quick glance at Reus and he looked away again, abashed. “We were quite preoccupied.”

“Anyway, we’re doing this for you, Byleth—right Dimitri?” Reus nudged the blonde.

“Yes, we are. I promise you, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” Dimitri shot her such a fiery gaze it made her heart skip a beat, spreading fire across her chest right down to her toes. 

“I’m counting on you.” Byleth meant what she said. Dimitri didn’t know it yet, but she was his Reus. 

“So I suppose this means we need to break into coach’s office again for more evidence? It’s difficult, seeing as he’s there almost nightly according to the security guard.” Dimitri looked at Reus for confirmation. Who then looked at Byleth for help, again. 

“What I think you guys should do is… uh,” Byleth started, “Is uh…” Reus waved his hand in circles as he prompted her.

“... Is to do interviews with everyone who was there to see if they saw anything… ?” she slowly said, with Reus repeating after her with an added flourish.

Dimitri didn't seem to notice the charade happening behind him and nodded in agreement. “That’s a good start. Gathering eye witnesses is a wise idea. I’m just worried if they’ll cooperate since Coach Kostas is not a kind man, but neither will having the sponsorship taken away from the winning team be of any help.” Dimitri rubbed his chin in thought. 

Reus leaned back on a step. “I guess just telling them the coach is potentially stealing money and that you’re trying to investigate will make anyone feel righteous enough to help.” 

Dimitri hummed, now tapping his chin. “I’d like to think about this,” he said. 

“Don’t take too long though, the money might be gone soon,” Reus added. 

“I agree, time is of the essence. I will have an answer and solution for you soon.” Dimitri turned to Byleth. “Please rest assured that I intend to keep my promise.” 

She smiled at him in thanks. “By the way, Dimitri, my brother mentioned you have a newspaper cutting of our tournament. May I take a picture of it? I’d like to show my dad — I didn’t keep any since I was kind of distraught over the incident. Plus, we haven’t seen him in a couple of months so...” 

“Sure, I’d happily make you a copy as well, if you’d like.” 

“Oh, that’s fine. I wouldn’t want to trouble you—”

“It would be my pleasure.” She blushed at the way he said pleasure, and nodded meekly. He continued while gesturing at Reus, “Reus also mentioned that you saw something suspicious that day?”

“Yes” She closed her eyes for a second to remember, it was a little bit fuzzy now. “I think your coach was speaking to the referee outside in a corner near, the men’s changing room I suppose. It was pure coincidence—I was on my way back from the bathroom when I heard them talking.” 

“That’s not really suspicious per se though.” Reus raised an eyebrow. 

She nodded. “But it’s what I heard—the referee said something along the lines of ‘don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s not an obvious mistake’. At the time I didn’t think much of it, but after we lost over some stupid foul… I couldn’t help but think this had something to do with it.” 

Dimitri stood up suddenly. 

“I’d like to formally apologize for accepting the win so easily, Miss Byleth.” He bowed deeply. “I-I knew something was wrong—I, too, thought the foul didn’t exist. But the referee was so insistent, I-I didn’t want to seem pretentious, and my team was already rejoicing at the victory.”

“Please—please raise your head.” She put her hands on his shoulders to push him up and boy Reus was right, he did have nice deltoids. She could feel and see his chiseled muscles under the sleeveless gym shirt he wore. 

When he straightened, their eyes met and she felt a shock of electricity run from her fingertips and down her spine. They held each other’s gaze for a good long second until she heard something like a hackling old man, but it was just Reus clearing his throat. She promptly released Dimitri’s shoulder. 

They both looked away from each other, flustered and heart beating out of control, or for Byleth at least. Reus had cleared his throat so much that he started coughing. On impulse she went over to her twin to rub his back, but so did Dimitri and their fingers touched on Reus’s back. Until Reus was frantically tapping at her knee. 

“ _ Help— _ ” She shook her head free of pesky romantic feelings and continued rubbing his back as Dimitri ran to the cafeteria to get water. In two minutes he was back and cracked open the bottle for a grateful Reus, who gulped it down. 

When Reus had settled, she turned to Dimitri and avoided his piercing blue eyes. “I-It’s okay. I don’t blame you to be honest. I don’t see how it would’ve worked out even if you had spoken up about it,” she said thoughtfully.

“That’s true, but still my sentiments remain the same.” Chivalry would be the death of her, she thought, so close to bashing her head against Reus’s back to force whatever romantic ghost that seemed to be possessing her. 

Reus was about to say something else when Felix sauntered up to them. 

“Reus,” he said cooly, and both twins turned around. “The R.A wants to see you and your sister.” 

“Thanks bro.” Reus stood and patted Felix’s shoulder in acknowledgement, who grunted a response. 

Byleth got up as well, dusted debris off her and was about to walk off with Reus, when she heard Felix growl at Dimitri, ‘Boar, stop staring and ask for her number’. She panicked a little as he did indeed have her number—as Reus. But with each step Byleth and Reus took, it didn’t seem like Dimitri was going to ask so she glanced back to see Felix berating him. She couldn’t help but smile at their friendship. 

It turned out that Mr. Alois had a room prepared for Jeralt, but insisted Byleth used it as their dad already had a hotel room. It was free, so Byleth thought she might as well utilize it and texted their dad that they would meet him at the bus station, instead of him going out of his way to get them. 

“I’ve not been back here in years. It still smells the same!” Jeralt exclaimed as he browsed the menu. Dinner had been lively—their dad recounted new memories of their mother, brought back by the sight and smells of Garreg Mach. 

During dessert, Byleth brought out a copy of the newspaper clipping Dimitri had made for her. 

“Here, dad. We lost, but I know you like keeping stuff like this.”

Jeralt grabbed it and squinted. “Which one’s you? And Reus, did you go and support your sister?” Byleth leaned over and pointed a finger at her face in the picture of the teams that participated that day. 

“Of course, I had nothing else to do after getting expelled anyway.” Reus shrugged. 

Byleth continued shoveling spoonfuls of ice-cream as her brother and father talked, when her dad’s expression suddenly turned pale. 

“It can’t be…” He said bringing the newspaper clipping closer to his face. 

“What?” Byleth and Reus said simultaneously. 

“Who’s this man in the tournament?” Jeralt jabbed a stubby finger at the image of a semi-bald, hunched-over old man. 

“I think that's the referee.” Byleth knew exactly who it was though, it was the same man who was talking to Coach Kostas. “Why? Do you know him?” 

“Know him?” Jeralt scoffed. “That’s the old bastard that tried to assault your mother in the staff room when I met her, remember?” Both her and Reus looked at each other gravely. 

“Well uh, h-how is he still able to be a referee? Shouldn’t he be banned from the sport or something?” Reus asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, your mother didn’t actually manage to get him to confess his crime for the whole fraud thing. He was fired for attempted assault on a co-worker instead. As for his association with your sport, it seems he’s still running free.” Jeraly folded the newspaper clipping and stuffed it into his pocket. 

Byleth bit her bottom lip. Would it be a wise choice telling her father the truth? About her being here at Garreg Mach snooping around disguised as her brother. Reus seemed to have guessed what she was saying and nodded. Byleth took a deep breath. 

“Uh, dad? I have something to tell you…” 

Jeralt looked up. “What? You’re not pregnant are you?” He slapped his thigh, laughing at his own joke.

“Goodness no—dad, this is serious.” 

“Okay, okay. What’s it?” He set his ice-cream spoon down. 

“How should I say this… I’m… actually not visiting Reus. I’ve become Reus,” she said slowly, gauging his expression, which was still neutral albeit slightly confused. “What I’m trying to say is, I've been impersonating Reus. The whole tournament thing has been messed up, I saw something that confirmed my suspicions that the games were rigged. That the foul didn’t exist. That my team should’ve rightfully won. I’m not a sore loser, but what you just said about the man—what’s his name?” 

“Uh, I think it was Thomas? No, Tomas. Yeah, that’s his name. Tomas.” 

Byleth then continued her explanation of how she saw a shady exchange of words, how she’s been investigating the case with Dimitri, her short hair, why Reus was here. 

Jeralt merely kept quiet the whole time, seemingly contemplating all this new information. 

“This could potentially be dangerous, kid. Are you sure you don’t want Reus to continue your investigation for you?” he finally said. 

“I could,” Reus spoke up. “But this is her investigation—she’s already been here a week and she seems to be holding her own really well. I’m sure she wants to see it through to the end.” 

Byleth nodded.

“Gah, I know that look. Nothing is going to change your mind is it?” Their dad relented. She was surprised, honestly. She didn’t think it’d be that easy to convince him. “I kinda knew something was off actually. The two of you were sneaking around doing your... twin thing.” He laughed. “And I think it’s nice that you're indirectly ‘avenging’ your mother by catching this guy—if he really is part of this whole sham.” 

“It is weird, isn’t it? To think that we’re facing the same man that was faced before we were born,” Reus commented and Byleth smiled, feeling a new sense of closeness to her mother. But if this referee was indeed the man their mother tried to catch, then she had inadvertently lured a bigger fish than she’d thought. But her fishing rod was barely enough, and her bait meager. A greedy fish might just topple her boat over, and everyone in it.

“You’re not worried about Reus or me being kicked out or anything?” she asked. Perhaps her dad was right, and she should hand over everything to Reus— 

“Not one bit. I uh, hate to brag, but I have connections here. I’m sure Rhea would love absolutely nothing but to weed these people out. If you haven’t met her, well, she’s very… righteous. Besides, your school back in Faerghus would be pleased to know that more of their students would be getting the scholarship to Garreg Mach University.” 

“Easily said than done,” she said, crossing her arms. 

“Trust me, schools are stupidly competitive. However, you do know that Reus would have to present your evidence—as in Reus himself?” 

“Fret not, father dearest.” Reus smirked. “We’ve got it all worked out.” The twins fist-bumped without looking at each other.

They continued throughout the night discussing their plans and how Byleth would go forward with it. Seemingly satisfied, Jeralt made them promise they’d update him about the whole thing. Jeralt drove them back to their school and said he’d see Reus in the morning, or whoever was being Reus the next day as he was going to thank Principal Rhea for accepting his brat of a son. Or daughter. 

Dimitri stared at his ceiling after dinner. It didn’t feel long but when Sylvain came to lie down next to him, and whispered, “You’ve been lovesick for the past 2 hours” he jumped out of his bed and realised he hadn’t even taken his shower after dinner. 

“Aww, come back to bed, baby.” Sylvain cooed at him and tapped his bed. Dimitri made a face. 

“I told you to get her number, you ass,” Felix said loudly from his end of the room. Sigh. Yes, Dimitri was regretting now. 

Sylvain sat up straight and glowered at Dimitri. “What—you didn’t get her number?” He shook Dimitri, repeating himself louder, “Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, you didn’t ask for her number?!” 

Dimitri shook his head woefully. 

“He could always ask Reus though, couldn’t he?” Ashe walked over to his bed and sat on it. “Judging by how he acted at lunch, I don’t think he’d mind.” 

“Oh my sweet boy, no.” Sylvain let Dimitri go and now went to harass Ashe. “If he does that, how is she supposed to know he’s interested in her?” Sylvain had a point

“How would she know, you say?” Felix scoffed. “When I passed them the message, Dimitri was already naming their children in his head.” Even Dedue cracked a smile. Even if the school burned down, Dimitri didn’t care anymore. He was determined to never move his head from where it was now; connected to the wall. Felix was spot on. 

“So she’s aware of his emotions.” Dedue nodded. “Did she seem acceptive of it?” 

Dimitri lifted his head from the wall. “I don’t know. I-I couldn’t think—”

“All she has to do is sigh in his direction and he’ll be at her feet,” Sylvain concluded with the biggest smirk on his face, Ashe nodded. 

“She’s extremely similar to Reus in terms of behaviour and expression, but I think she’s nice. A-and she fights well!” Ashe turned to Dimitri. Dimitri was absolutely sure his infatuation for her would go away as soon as she left. But the little touches they shared had set him on fire. 

While deep in thought, the door knob turned and Reus emerged. Dimitri’s heart sank—he was half hoping it would be Byleth, as impossible as that was. 

“Dimitri has a crush on your sister!” Sylvain declared and immediately jumped off Dimitri’s bed and hid behind Felix. 

“Get off me!” The shorter male growled, shrugging Sylvain off like a dirty coat. 

Dimitri stood completely still in horror as he watched for changes in Reus’s expression, accepting that he would probably die tonight, surrounded by his friends-turned-traitors— 

“You’d have to be blind  _ not _ to see that.” Reus grinned at him. “You should’ve seen him around my sister.” Reus peeled off his shirt and tossed it on his bed, the rest of his dorm mates trying their hardest not to die laughing. Dimitri was not only shocked at his words, but the fact that Reus was finally somewhat naked around them. 

“I’d like to apologize for my awful behaviour. I-I didn’t know what came over me.” Despite the meek apology, Dimitri was approaching Reus with suspicion. Sylvain emerged from behind Dedue who was his new hiding spot, and slowly made his way to Reus putting an arm around the topless mint-haired male. 

“You don’t mind this guy having a crush on your sister? Didn’t you beat a guy up for saying something about her? You mean you’re not the over-protective brother we all know and love?” Everyone was paying attention now. 

“Didn’t I tell you what that ass said about her? You would’ve beaten the guy up too if you heard what he said. At any rate, she can handle her own romances. Didn’t she sweep the floor with one of you guys at the tournament?” Reus looked at them. Dimitri sheepishly put his hand up. 

“But I must clarify that our scores were tied.” He was extremely impressed by her though. She held her own against his own admittedly monstrous strength. 

“I’m gonna shower, see you guys later.” Reus stood up and looked for his shower bucket. Dimitri then remembered he had to shower, offering to accompany Reus. The others simply stared in disbelief as the two left the room.

Reus seemed completely at ease with himself, stripping his clothes without a single care. He was also very well endowed  _ there _ , along with a toned stomach and muscular legs. Dimitri wondered just what was he suspecting Reus of a couple of days ago? Something about Reus never being naked in front of them? He couldn’t remember anymore. Reus even used the urinals on the way back. 

He still hadn’t worked up the courage to ask for Byleth’s number though. It was an infatuation and he was going to prove it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for going over to https://geeknabe.com/fanfiction/everything-changes-but-you/ to read the latest chapters!! I'll sporadically update Ao3 once in a while, like i mentioned, I haven't written anything in years so posting on Ao3 is a big step outside my comfort zone, BUT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT KIND SKDFJHKSLDJFH THANK YOU SO MUCH IM DYING AHHHHHHHH
> 
> My twitter handle is _marichanx if you're interested in following me, although I retweet lots of stuff...hehehehe


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri is confused. He isn’t sure how Byleth, and now, Reus can make him feel such things.

“Wha-what? Me too?” 

It was almost 7am and Byleth had slept like a corpse, even missing her daily get-ready-as-Reus 5:30am alarm. Until her dad gave her a call and said he and Reus were walking towards her room as they spoke. The one that Alois insisted she stay in. 

“Yes, you too,” Jeralt said, dropping himself on her bed. “I mentioned to Rhea that my daughter was here as well and she _insisted_ on meeting you.” She looked at Reus in panic, he shrugged. 

“She’s going to find out the Reus she’s been seeing isn’t Reus, dad.” 

Jeralt sat in silence for a couple of seconds and let out a deep breath. “That..might not be a bad thing though.” 

“It is If I get expelled from this school,” Reus said, crossing his arms.

“I don’t think so,” Jeralt answered firmly. “I never told you guys but... your Principal Rhea—how should I say this—she raised your mother.” 

“.... _what?_ ” Byleth’s mouth hung. 

Reus pinched the bridge of his nose. A knit forming between his brows. “Why is it only _now_ that all these... _secrets_ —were you never going to tell us? You said mum was an orphan!” 

“To be absolutely frank with you, and you know how frank I am, I don’t know much about her either. We got married pretty quickly, then you two came along and—” 

The air in the room grew heavy. Jeralt stopped talking, sensing their frustration despite their expressionless faces. But he knew his kids enough to know they were quite displeased with this revelation. 

“I’m sorry. But yes, that’s the truth. She was an orphan but Rhea raised her. Which is why she’s lived here her whole life in Garreg Mach’s and eventually taught here.” 

“Let me get this straight.” Reus cleared his throat, “If she raised mum, technically— ” 

“—Principle Rhea’s our grandmother?” Byleth’s eyes bulged wide.

“I mean if you put it that way, I guess so.” 

Byleth and Reus looked at each other.

“And that’s why I won’t get expelled? Because she’s our sort-of grandmother?” Reus raised an eyebrow. 

“She looks really young, though. Like, younger than you, dad.” There was not one wrinkle on her skin, and yet this woman was their grandmother? 

“She’s a mystery to me as well. Look, she wants to see the both of you okay? And she’s done worse than letting her adopted granddaughter dress as a boy in her school.” 

“How would you know?” Byleth asked.

“I was her head of security for years, kid.” Jeralt had a pained look on his scarred face. She didn’t press the issue further. “If she asks, just tell her the truth.” 

Both Reus and Byleth sighed simultaneously, they didn’t have a choice but to meet their supposed-grandmother, Principal Rhea at 8am. 

“It’s been years since I last set eyes on this place. To be forced to see her now…” Jeralt took in the view of Rhea’s office, as though it was a sight to behold, then bent over like a deflated balloon. A sigh escaped his lips.

“Forced?” Byleth said, dressed as herself—a feminine contrast to Reus who fitted really nicely in the uniform she’d been wearing the past week. “I thought you wanted to thank her?”

“Yes, thank her out of force.” Jeralt looked at Reus—the sole reason for his visit, who looked away awkwardly. Byleth cleared her throat as Principal Rhea walked in, with the sternest looking man she’d ever seen in her life. 

“Thank you for your patience, Jeralt. My name is Seteth. I am the Deputy Principal.” 

“Right. Hello.” Jeralt replied. Well, he must’ve been somewhat new if her dad didn’t know him. 

Principal Rhea had a dignified air around her as she stood before them with her hands placed neatly in front of her. She was a tall and slender woman, dressed in a crisp, white pants suit and a navy blue, silk shirt. She had long flowing green hair partially held up by what looked like a large, golden barrette at the back of her head. Her voice exuded regalness as she spoke.

“It has been a long time, Jeralt. I wonder...was it the will of the Goddess that we have another chance of meeting like this?” And boy was she melodramatic. 

“Forgive my silence all these years,” their dad replied. Byleth was shocked at the way he spoke. Was this their dad? She saw Reus’ lips twitch from the corner of her eye, trying to hold in his laugh. 

“So I see. It is a wonderful pleasure seeing your children, although the circumstance of this meeting was unfortunate, I am relieved we are able to offer a place for your son to continue his education.” Principal Rhea shifted her body slightly at Reus. “This is your son I presume?”

“Yes.” Jeralt stepped forward and placed a hand on Reus’s shoulder. “This is Reus.” 

“Ah, Reus is your middle name, if I remember correctly?” Rhea held out a delicate hand and Reus gingerly shook it twice.

“Y-yes. You remembered.” Jeralt then gestured at Byleth. “And this is my daughter, Byleth.” For a split second it looked as if Rhea’s lips quivered before holding her hand out for Byleth to shake as well. As they exchanged handshakes, for reasons unknown to Byleth, Rhea peered deeply into her eyes. Searching. Another gentle hand covered Byleth’s own, as though in comfort.

“How are you settling in, Reus?” The man named Seteth spoke up as Byleth and Rhea let go of each other. 

“Great. I like it here,” Reus replied in his pleasant voice. 

“Good.” Seteth said in a strange curt but courteous voice. “I expect you to be on your best behaviour. And as for your conduct in your previous institution, well, we all hope it will not be repeated. This school has a reputation to uphold and it will not be besmirched by unruly conduct regardless of location.” 

“Of course,” Reus responded with a polite smile. 

“Very good. I apologise for I must step away for now. You are welcome to stay for as long as you like Jeralt, Byleth. Our guest house will always be open for you. Free of charge, naturally.” 

“Oh no, I cannot impose like that. You already did me this big favour I—”

“Please, I insist.” Principal Rhea smiled, despite Seteth objecting quietly in her ear. “I will inform Alois. I implore you to speak to him whenever it is convenient for you.” 

“Uh, sure. I mean, thank you.” Jeralt bowed. Principal Rhea excused herself, with Seteth dipping his eyebrow at Jeralt as they left the room. 

Byleth let go of the breath she was holding and looked down at the hand Principal Rhea shook. “That was a… strange experience.” 

“You can say that again. I have a feeling that Seteth-man might be watching me closely, or rather, you, for that matter.” Reus smirked at her. “He doesn’t seem too fond of my attending here.” 

“Yes, well, you did get in from just a phone call, you know,” Jeralt said, rubbing the back of his head. “Almost all the students here get in with either exceptional grades, and or with large financial backgrounds.” Jeralt snorted. “We’re neither.” 

“Well then! It’s clear that By’s team deserves the sponsorship more. The kids here can obviously afford it—they shouldn’t even be competing for it,” Reus said as-a-matter-of-factly. 

“You do know we’re talking about _the_ Garreg Mach University right?” Jeralt said.

“Then how are we affording this?” Reus asked, sounding concerned. 

“To put it simply, she gave me a discount. Staff price or something I don’t know—look kid, don’t worry about it. Just don’t muck this up.”

“He’s talking to you.” Reus elbowed her with a cheeky grin. 

“ _Both_ of you,” Jeralt said firmly. Byleth glared back at Reus. 

“Anyway Reus, do you want to swap back now?” If they went back to her room to change, Reus could sneak back out with their dad, since everyone was in class now. 

“Whoever Reus is going to be, just watch out for Principal Rhea too. I know she won’t expel you, but I also don’t know what she has planned. Everything is going too smoothly and I’m suspicious. 

Byleth and Reus smirked at each other.

“We got it.” 

Jeralt groaned. 

Dimitri’s emotions for Byleth did not go away as he had planned. By not seeing her in person, he thought it’d miraculously disappear. On the contrary, now he was starting to feel things for _Reus_. Reus! There weren’t these… fluttering sensations in his stomach when Reus yanked his clothes off and bared it all in the shower, or when he changed last night or this morning. Yet during lunch, whenever Reus looked at him with his big, green eyes, his heart rate increased and his stomach churned in horror as realization dawned on him.

He could barely handle (or admit for that matter), his growing feelings for Byleth, let alone Reus now. 

In the midst of his agony, Dimitri stabbed a piece of onion too hard and his bowl cracked, spilling hot soup on him. He yelped and jumped out of his seat as the piping hot soup spread across his pants.

Ashe and Reus also leapt from their seats as the liquid flowed over to their end. Dimitri stood, still in shock but Reus exclaimed, “You’ll get burned!” and quickly grabbed some napkins and started patting down Dimitri’s soiled pants. The rest of the gang watched onat Reus’s selfless gesture, seemingly just as shocked as Dimitri. Dimitri’s heart pounded uncontrollably against his ribcage as he looked down at Reus on his knees dabbing his pants dry near his… his… regions and suddenly the heat wasn’t coming from the soup that burned his thighs anymore. 

“Are you okay?” Ashe said as he frantically mopped up the spilled liquid on the table and bench. 

“You were thinking about boobs right?” Sylvain blurted all of a sudden. Dimitri whipped up his head at Sylvain, his eyes wide, eyebrows furrowed, cheeks as red as a newborn. 

“N-no, Sylvain! I do not have such indecent thoughts. Please do not associate the contents of my mind to be akin to yours!” he sputtered. 

“Yeah, he’s fine.” Sylvain snorted, turning to Felix, who shook his head at the situation. 

“You do look like you peed your pants though,” Reus said, chuckling a little, but curtly apologised. It spooked Dimitri that Reus sounded almost—no, _exactly_ like Byleth. 

“Would you like me to buy you a new meal while you change?” Dedue asked. He shook his head. But Dedue insisted and left to order before Dimitri could say anything else. 

“R-Reus, if I may ask, how’s your father’s visit? You don’t have to answer if it’s something you can’t share, I-I don’t mean to pry.” Ashe side-glanced at Reus as they picked up the shards of the broken bowl. 

“I found out a couple of interesting things, actually. Never knew Mr Alois and my dad were so tight back in the day. I didn’t know that they knew each other, in fact! We also met with Principal Rhea. I was expecting her to be harsh, you know, up-tight, stubborn and all that. And Mr. Seteth was very, _very_ firm on me 'not besmirching our school’s reputation'. Otherwise, I think everything went splendidly.” 

“I’m surprised Mr. Seteth didn’t pull that stick out of his ass and beat you with it.” Sylvain chuckled then stopped, “All I did was talk to his little sister once. You know, the girl who comes occasionally to stay in the guest house— curly green hair, slightly naive looking, always talking about fish— ”

“Miss Flayn?” Ashe answered.

“Yep, that’s the one. Apparently he told her to maintain a distance of exactly 6 feet from me, and that any girl who speaks to me is ‘doomed to misfortune’.” Sylvain did air quotes while mimicking Seteth’s voice. “I mean what kind of guy says that to his sister?” Sylvain then suddenly gripped Reus’ shoulders

“Oh goddess, please tell me you didn’t tell your sister that.” 

“She can figure that out herself.” Reus looked amused. 

“That I am an absolutely charming young man with no ill intentions whatsoever? Don’t mind if I do—Oh wait, sorry. Can’t steal the _one_ girl Dimitri finally develops a crush on.” 

Reus choked on his food and sputtered. A look of horror plastered on his face. Dimitri didn’t mind having another bowl of soup spilling over him. Anything to save him the pain and embarrassment of dealing with this again. 

“You said it yourself last night that anyone would’ve been blind to not see this stupid Boar having a shameless crush on her,” Felix said pointedly.

“I-I... totally did, right. Sorry. I forgot. The whole Principal Rhea and Mr. Seteth thing kinda… shook me.” 

“R-Reus! Please pay no heed to their words. I would not do anything to damage your sister’s virtue—sorry, that’s not the right word. I-I mean I would not do anything you would disapprove of. I understand how important she is to you.” Dimitri was prepared to give up these emotions if it meant respecting Reus’s wishes, however hard it was. 

Reus paused at his words. Suspense grew heavy in Dimitri's chest. Everyone seemed to hold their breaths as they leaned in, awaiting Reus’ answer.

“I don’t think she’d mind.” Reus finally spoke, blushing for some reason. Sylvain and Ashe ooh-ed.

A relieved sigh escaped Dimitri’s lips. The Reus who defended his sister’s honour with violence was now giving him permission to formally court his sister? Perhaps the goddess was watching over him after all. As elated as he was, the image of Reus’ flushed face seared into his consciousness. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it felt like deja vu. There comes a point where twins ceased being similar—a distinct personality trait, different personal tastes, opposing hair partings—what more for fraternal twins. But the feeling he felt being around Reus was indistinguishable to when he was a bumbling mess around Byleth. Now he wasn’t sure if he was comfortable going out with her, when his heart also palpitates at the mere sight of her brother—

Wait a minute. _Both_ twins?! 

His spine tingled at the sheer thought. How unbecoming!He was turning into Sylvain. Worse, he had declared that he wouldn’t fall in love at first sight with anyone, yet this was all he had been doing recently. Felix was right about mocking him. But why did it have to be both brother and sister?!

“Stop standing there like an idiot, and quickly get changed. We still have class after this and I don’t want to be seen with a guy who looks like he pissed himself.” Felix had a way with words, but Dimitri knew he meant well. 

Afternoon training was uneventful. Coach Kostas had let them spar freely amongst each other while he gleefully scrolled his phone. Even Dimitri was off his radar. Reus, on the other hand, having been challenged by Felix to a sword match, surprisingly emerged victorious. Not that Dimitri ever doubted Reus. He knew what a fierce fighter Felix was, but Reus had some sort of wolfish hunger whenever he clashed swords.

He could say the same for the literal, as well. Dimitri hadn’t noticed it before, but were there always _this many_ plates before Reus each meal time? 

The green-haired boy sat wolfing down his (food) beside him. Opposite Dimitri was Sylvain, mouthing ‘numb-ber’ at him. He ignored the red-head but was kicked in the leg. He shot a glare at Sylvain. Unfortunately even he was not spared by Ashe, who also eyed between him and Reus. 

Reus remained oblivious to the charade happening in front of him as Dimitri mouthed a ‘no’ back to his friends. Thank the Goddess. But Felix was fully aware and already extremely annoyed.

“His Royal Beastliness wants your sister's number.” If the heavens could open up in all its glory and take Dimitri to the afterlife, this would be the time. He hid his face in the crook of his elbow.

“Y-you want my sister's number?” Reus’ voice hitched.

Dimitri looked up, hoping that Reus would be anything but furious. Instead Reus’ cheeks were bursting with food, like a hamster hoarding nuts. And those eyes. Dimitri tore his gaze away before he made a bigger fool of himself.

Reus’s question still hung in the air. “Ah…” Did Dimitri want Byleth’s number now though? So far he’d been completely mesmerized by Reus. This Reus who was swallowed by his enormous hoodie, sitting cross legged as he shoveled spoonfuls of dinner into his mouth. Byleth seemed like an afterthought now. Although, the thought of her still made his heart squeeze. It just wasn’t as powerful as when her twin was sitting beside him. 

Dimitri’s fist clenched under the table. He felt like a cheater having affections for the both of them. But his heart had trembled for Byleth first. No matter how Reus made butterflies erupt in his stomach now, he would not do the lady such a disservice by liking her brother.

“I would like her number, if that's alright with you?” Dimitri said finally. Reus’ large eyes stared back at him, and he nearly reached out to wipe some crumbs off the boy’s lips. Dimitri pulled back his hands instantly. “I-I thought it was appropriate to start a correspondence with her first before formally asking her out on a date.” 

Reus froze. And Dimitri almost slapped himself in reflex for saying something stupid. Again.

“It’s happening, it’s happening.” Sylvain nudged, whispering loudly at Ashe next to him. 

“When were you planning on asking her on this... ‘date’?” Reus swallowed and downed an entire cup of juice in one gulp.

“I... didn’t think that far actually,” he said in a small voice. His palms sweaty. Knees weak. He twirled his now-cold spaghetti with a fork. Dejected.

“... _What_?” Sylvain butted in. 

“I mean, I didn’t think you would actually give me your sister’s number, let alone allow me to take her out on a date...” Dimitri replied, his eyes observing Reus who muttered something about never being on a date with anyone before.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch—”

“I don’t think my sister has been on a date before,” Reus repeated himself quietly. 

“Hang on—you’re saying your _smoking hot_ sister has never been on a date before, or are my ears broken?” Sylvain’s mouth fell open. So did Ashe’s. Reus landed a swift kick at Sylvian under the table and the latter howled in pain. 

“She’s _not_ hot okay? It’s weird to talk about my sister like that,” Reus retorted, a little vexed. “Anyway, let me know when you’re going on this date. Give me your phone, I’ll key in her number for you.” And Dimitri obliged a little too enthusiastically. 

“Aww, are you going to secretly spy on them or something?” Sylvain teased.

“Ew no. Why would I do that? Wh-what if they kiss or something? That’s like, a breach of privacy!”

Sylvain let out a burst of laughter. “Oh, don’t worry, Dimitri doesn’t know how to kiss.”

“That’s a horrible thought,” Felix, who had his eyes glued to his phone the whole time, suddenly said out loud and shut his eyes. “Goddess I can’t unsee it now.”

Dimitri was surprisingly a little hurt at the teasing, but it was the truth. He had never even held hands with a girl, not on purpose, at least. “But how do you know that? I could’ve… could’ve… you know…?” 

Sylvain grinned as wide as the Chesire cat.

“Oh we would _definitely_ know.” 

“I-if i may, Reus.” All turned to Ashe, Dimitri in particular was grateful for this interjection. “If you are worried, Sylvain does have a point. O-of course you needn’t spy on them—perhaps you could chaperone? I know you want to give them privacy but I think it would give everyone some sort of peace of mind.”

Reus tapped his chin in contemplation. Meanwhile Dimitri was taken aback by Ashe’s suggestion. Need they be so old fashioned? Still, this would be the perfect time to reassess his feelings for Byleth and get these worrisome butterflies out of his system. Having Reus tag along as a ‘chaperone’ was oddly… exciting, too, for lack of a better word. No. No, he shouldn’t. It could only be one, and he chose Byleth. He was merely appreciative to bond with a new friend. 

Yes, that was it. 

“I’m fine with the idea,” Dimitri finally said. Reus looked at him in slight horror. And Dimitri glanced back with equal alarm. “Y-You are… not fine with this arrangement, Reus?”

“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t need to be accompanied by me. I mean come on, in this day and age?” Reus fired his words quickly, avoiding eye contact, and tucked his hands into the deep pockets of his hoodie. 

“Dude, you’re way too relaxed about this. One one hand, you’re the infamous Reus who beat the shit out of a guy for his sister, and on the other, you’re letting her go on a date alone? With _this_ beast?” Sylvain rapped his knuckles on the table. “ Come on, man, where’s your sense of fun.”

“What do you mean?” Reus narrowed his eyes at him. “I thought you were vying for them?” 

“I am, and I also want first-hand news. We all know Dimitri is going to be so starstruck by her, he’s just gonna do a wonderful impersonation of a dead halibut.” Ashe let out a snort at Sylvain’s last comment but straightened up. 

“I’ll have you know that I will be the perfect gentlemen and entertain her about my innate knowledge of—”

“Swords? Weapons? Breaking shit?” Felix cut him off. “Yeah, I’d be _so_ charmed if I were her.”

“But she’s also in the weapon’s club….” Dimitri replied meekly.

“Shut up.” Felix rolled his eyes. 

Sylvain leaned across the dinner table and took Reus’ small hands into his own. A sharp pang stabbed Dimitri in the heart. “Come on Reus, please? For us?” 

“But he hasn’t even talked to her yet!” Reus objected, did he dislike chaperoning so much? Dimitri’s heart sank.

“We’re being prepared, and besides, she’s leaving soon isn’t she? If she hasn’t already. ” Sylvain clutched his chest and gasped dramatically, “It has to happen tomorrow!” 

Reus blinked at Sylvain. “But aren’t we not allowed out?” 

“You said your dad and Mr. Alois were tight, and this is your sister we’re talking about. You could say something and he might let you guys out.” There it was, that twinkle in Sylvain’s eye. Dimitri just knew some devious plan was forming in that head of his.

They sat in silence for a few seconds when Reus opened his mouth then closed it again. “I don’t have a choice do I?” 

“Naw, I’m just gonna yeet you over this mountain and make you go anyway, right Felix?” 

“Not before I toss _you_. Ugh. I’m going to shower.” 

“Give me a second.” Reus wiped his mouth and stood up abruptly. 

“S-sure,” Dimitri replied, his eyes trailing after the smaller male. Reus’s hair was the perfect imitation of a bird’s nest. His hoodie so big it fell off his shoulder, and his pants were so long he had to roll it up to his knees but one side slid down. Reus was an absolute mess but it was a warm sight for Dimitri’s very sore eyes. 

Sitting once again on her favourite brick in her favourite location; the greenhouse, Byleth was on the phone with the Real Reus.

“Please tell me that by some miracle, you’re still around,” she pleaded and her brother responded with a chuckle. 

“I wish I weren't so I could listen to you suffer. Why?”

“So, you’re still around then?” 

“Dad said I was still grounded and I didn’t wanna be stuck at home.So I checked into a backpackers hotel in Garreg Mach, and I’m going on a tour of some garden somewhere tomorrow with some old people. They have a tour bus, fancy that!” She stared at her phone, perplexed. The caller ID was correct. Strange words were coming out of the real Reus’ mouth. Him, being excited about spending the day with old folks? “Oh and dad said you’re grounded too when you’re done with this whole thing.” _Now_ there’s the Reus she knew. 

She groaned, she could deal with that later but now she had a more dire situation on her hands, “Yeah, yeah, okay. Anyway, when are you not going to be occupied with geriatrics? I kinda need you to chaperone.”

“Chaperone? For what?” 

“Me.” 

“Elaborate, dumbass.” 

“Dimitri is going to ask me on a date and the guys are _insisting_ Reus tag along to make sure nothing happens and to tell them exactly what happens.” 

“Pfft, Dimitri? _That_ Dimitri-who-couldn’t-keep-his-eyes-off-you Dimitri? He could barely say two words to you without blushing himself to death.” 

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know, and it hasn’t even happened yet. Not until tomorrow night.”

“What?”

“So yeah, you uh… have to get me more clothes—”

“Again?”

“Yes, date-appropriate clothes please.” Byleth chuckled as Reus groaned and grunted on the other end of the line. “I’ll probably have to come down the mountain with Dimitri. And... you’ll also be getting texts from Dimitri. Sorry—I had to give him my number and delete our previous chats with me as you so just… I don’t know, go with the flow? Please don’t mess up.” 

“Hold up. _I_ need to pretend to be you now?” She could imagine the face he was making and the fake gagging.

“No, I mean—ugh, you just do you, and I’ll do me. Capish? Leave all the dating to me. You just bring your ass to the date.”

“I’m gonna make you suffer for this.” 

“I love you too, Reus.” More groaning followed by a reluctant ‘love you too’ then, click. She quickly jogged back to the cafeteria and saw the guys huddled around Dimitri. 

“What did I miss?” she said as she squeezed herself in between Ashe and Sylvain. Surprisingly Felix was still around too. Not long after her, Dedue also appeared and hovered over the group. 

Sylvain spoke without lifting his eyes off Dimitri’s screen, “Dimitri’s trying to sext your sister _oof—_ ”

“You have a death wish?” Felix elbowed Sylvain so hard the latter leaned on a chair to catch his breath. Felix then said to her, “The Boar here is struggling to use human language to try and talk to your sister.” 

Shit. 

Byleth excused herself to the toilet, and while she was looking for somewhere to hide and text, her phone ping-ed. 

> TIMESTAMP: MONDAY, 7.51pm
> 
> Dimitri: Is this Miss Byleth Eisner? I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd from the tournament. I share a dorm with your brother, Reus Eisner. We met earlier with your father.
> 
> Dimitri: I do hope I’m not intruding or anything... Reus gave me your number. If this is making you uncomfortable, please let me know and I will cease all forms of communication.

Byleth gave up her search, retreated to the dorm, put her phone on silent and giggled at the way Dimitri texted as the messages came in. 

> Byleth: haha youre so formal even when youre texting. I thought i told you to call me byleth?
> 
> Byleth: and yeah he told me whats up
> 
> Dimitri: I do apologize. Would you allow me to make amends by taking you out to dinner tomorrow night?

She nearly gawked at her phone at how shockingly smooth he was. 

> Byleth: im back in faerghus tho 
> 
> Dimitri: Oh, I understand. Fortunately, I hail from Faerghus as well, and I’d be happy to take you to dinner then.
> 
> Byleth: im kidding im still here. tmr night? I thought you guys werent allowed out or smtg
> 
> Dimitri: My my, you are very knowledgeable about our school rules. Though, it’s not surprising since your brother attends this school as well. Please do not worry about that, neither I or your brother will break any rules. 
> 
> _typing..._

Byleth was about to type a reply when she heard voices from the corridor and quickly hid under her blanket. 

“Even while flirting you type like an old man.” Sylvain’s voice echoed into the dorm when he opened the door. “Hey Reus, Dimitri is shit at flirting,” he said, yanking the sheets from her. “Why’re you hiding? Are you jerking off?”

Byleth nearly gagged. 

“I would at least have the decency to do it somewhere privately.” 

“She hasn’t replied yet, has she?” Ashe asked, stealing a glance at Dimitri’s phone.

“She’s probably showing off to her friends about what a dumbass you are,” Felix said as he stripped all but his briefs, grabbed his shower kit and headed out. 

“Miss Byleth has been receptive so far, I believe it is too late for Dimitri to change his writing style now.” Dedue reached for a flower patterned shower bucket under his bed. “Please do not give up. It is not unreasonable for people to reply to text messages late. She might be preoccupied,” he said to Dimitri as he walked out. 

She sat up straight with her back to the wall and discreetly texted Dimitri back.

> Byleth: ok thanks. text me the time and locatios
> 
> Byleth: *location
> 
> Byleth: or tell Reus or smtg anything is ok with me. I gotta go see you tmr

As soon as she hit send and heard the pings coming from Dimitri’s phone, she threw a glance at him. He was about to say something to the guys but became completely absorbed in her messages. 

Sylvain threw himself on Dimitri’s bed as soon as he heard the notification. “What did she say? Is she gonna marry you yet?” 

“W-what? No! She merely accepted my invitation!” Dimitri’s slender fingers tapped and glided over the screen in quick succession while managing to protest. 

“Are you going to say you love her?” 

“Sylvain, not now—no, I am not. I—please let me focus.” 

“Aww, my baby boy is all grown up and sexting girls!” Sylvain wiped a fake tear from his eyes.

“Sylvain, please cease being so crass,” Dimitri pleaded. He then paused moving. From where Byleth was, it sounded like he was backspacing. 

“What’s sexting?” Ashe asked. 

“Actually, yes. What _is_ sexting?” Dimitri chipped in as well. 

“You guys don’t know?” Sylvain sat up, observing them. “And you,” He looked at Dimitri, “You don’t know what’s sexting and you’ve been correctly fending me off?”

“It… It has the word s-sex in it,” Dimitri said softly, blushing, “I thought it meant something sexually inappropriate.” 

Sylvain cleared his throat and gripped Dimitri and Ashe’s shoulders, with the biggest shit-eating grin Byleth had ever seen.

“It’s when you send dick pics and or sexy messages to someone. Telling them what you’d like them to do, or do to them. Here, I’ll show you some of my past messages-”

“- _No!_ ” Dimitri and Ashe cried out. 

Byleth was on the verge of tears when she saw Dimitri and Ashe’s expression. She couldn’t tell if they were horrified, embarrassed or just had the purity robbed from their minds. The poor boys.

“I’m going to… lie down,” Ashe mumbled, looking petrified as he dragged himself over to his bed. He buried his face in his pillow, probably attempting to suffocate the impurity out of his mind. 

Dimitri pushed the wheezing Sylvain aside who nearly rolled off Dimitri’s bed from his sheer strength and went over to her bed, almost kneeling in front of her.

“Reus please, I promise you I would never do such a thing to your sister. Her virtue and honour is safe with me.” 

“I-I don’t want to know what you guys text. I’m her brother, for goodness' sake. This is grossing me out.” Byleth tried her best Reus-impression in this situation, but she was absolutely giddy with glee. Keeping the grin off her face proved impossible. Although to Dimitri it was just the corners of her mouth curling slightly upwards. 

“Oh right, let me add you to the group chat,” Sylvain said as he whipped out his phone. 

“G-group chat?” She asked, panicking.

“We all want live updates from their date tomorrow, duh.” 

“Of course, of course,” she replied, giving them Reus’ actual number. Maybe she could borrow his sim card? But she shook the thought out of her head. He might actually kill her if she asked anymore. She fired off a quick text to the real Reus to expect incoming messages from his dorm mates, along with a string of apologies. 

Tomorrow was going to be such an interesting day for her, the idea of pursuing justice for her team almost felt like a distant dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! so sorry about no updating here often! As I write mainly on my blog ->
> 
> https://geeknabe.com/fanfiction/everything-changes-but-you/
> 
> It's much cleaner and the sms/texting are interactive so you can scroll it like a legit app! all thanks to my webmaster, nabe-chan! <3 
> 
> Follow me on twitter to get the latest updates of my fic ^_^ 
> 
> https://twitter.com/_marichanx  
> (im RT heavy tho, be warned! XD)
> 
> This series will end in chapter 10!! But I will have a season 2 for this fanfic!  
> As of today, 16/7/2020, Chapter 10 is still a work in progress, after that I will be on semi-hiatus as I have exams coming up but I've already written some of season 2 so I hope you stick around!! 
> 
> Lastly thank you thank you so much for reading and giving me kudos and even taking the time to comment! I love comments and feedback to bits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALLLL DSJKFHKSDJFH


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimitri and Byleth go on a date and poor Reus finds out the hard way watching your twin sister flirt is very awkward.

“Alright children, you got your phones? Money?” Sylvain stood in front of her and Dimitri like a worried parent. 

“Yes to both,” Byleth said, actually opening her backpack and checking the contents. 

“Okay good. You, Dimitri.” Sylvain turned to the blonde with very serious eyes, “My good man, do you have condoms—”

Felix punched Sylvain in the gut in reflex as she and Dimitri stood in shock, more so Dimitri than her. She eventually also punched the red-head’s arm. 

Dedue stepped over the groaning Sylvain and handed them their shuttle bus tickets. “I took the liberty of purchasing them ahead for you. Please do not worry about the payment as I owe the both of you more than the monetary value of these tickets.” 

“No, Dedue please—” 

Dedue shook his head at Dimitri’s protest. 

“But… I didn’t do anything?” Byleth stared down at her ticket then attempted to return it to Dedue who merely pushed it back to her. 

“You and your family invited me to lunch. That alone has more value than this meager piece of parchment. Please take it. I insist.” 

Seeing as Dedue was not going to budge figuratively and literally, she gave him a small smile. 

“Thanks Dedue. It’s really sweet of you.” 

“Also, Dimitri, you can’t seriously be going on a date dressed like that?” Sylvain said, after managing to pick himself off the sidewalk. Byleth thought he looked well dressed. Very Dimitri—a pair of crisp, beige slacks with a brown belt, a creaseless white shirt, tie and a fitted, navy blazer. She prayed that whatever Reus got her would be just as decent. 

“Who the hell wears a tie on a date? What are you, the crown prince of some country?” Felix rubbed his temples. “Animals have no sense of fashion.” 

“Well, i-it’s a very… mature look,” Ashe said. 

“I agree.” Dedue nodded. 

Sylvain stepped forward, yanked the tie off, almost choking Dimitri in the process and unbuttoned so many buttons on Dimitri’s shirt that his abs were on display. Dimitri’s arms flew to cover himself like an exposed damsel. 

“Boy, you gotta flaunt these  _ delicious  _ washboard abs.” Sylvian slapped Dimitri’s hands away and took a step back to admire the masterpiece before him. “You know what, might as well lose the shirt—” Dimitri smacked Sylvain’s intrusive hands away before he could be stripped any further.

“Sylvain, I’ll have you know that I shall not have you dictating my wardrobe tonight or any other night, in fact! ” Dimitri’s expression turned sour as he stood awkwardly with his entire torso exposed to the cold mountain winds. Byleth turned away, feeling quite hot. 

“And yet, here you stand.” Sylvain smirked, crossing his arms proudly. “What do you guys think?”

“No,” Felix said flatly. Dedue and Ashe shook their heads as well. 

“No?” Sylvain pouted.

Felix shook his head. “He looks like you.” 

“And that’s a bad thing?” 

Everyone nodded unanimously. Relieved, Dimitri quietly took the tie back from an incredibly disappointed-looking Sylvain. 

“Just in case,” he said and quickly straightened out his clothes again.

—

The bus was unsurprisingly empty, seeing as it was 5pm in the evening. Students weren’t usually allowed out on weekdays but Mr. Alois had given them permission as planned. 

She and Dimitri were sitting in silence, though it wasn’t really silent. The bus conductor had strange sitar music playing in the background. They were quite comfortable actually, just a tiny bit awkward, only because Byleth and Dimitri had been texting all day, but he didn’t know that. 

If only Byleth could tell Dimitri the truth and let the real Reus take over her investigation. 

If only. But right now, she was Dimitri’s Reus. And she couldn’t risk mucking up something as simple as this. She sucked in a breath to calm her nerves. Act normal. Be Reus.

Dimitri pulled his phone out to check for messages and looked crestfallen when there weren’t any. 

“She didn’t text you?” Byleth asked, amused. 

He shook his head. “I’m sure she’s busy. Garreg Mach town is very lively and full of activities, you know.” 

“And I bet you have a whole line-up planned for her, huh?” She kicked off her shoes, turned around in her seat so that her back was leaning against the window and looked at Dimitri. It was so bizarre that when she was Reus she could speak freely to him, but as Byleth, she’d catch him looking at her sometimes with a raw, fiery intensity in his eyes that she’d never seen before as Reus. 

Dimitri shifted in his seat as well, angling his body to look at her. He was blushing a little.

“I hope they are to her satisfaction. I’ve done extensive research on things she might like based on the things I know about her.” Dimitri opened his backpack and pulled out a blue binder. He was about to do a short presentation as to where he was going to take Byleth but then when he made eye contact with her, she blinked furiously at him. Eyebrows drawn together.

“I-I’m sorry, was this too much?” Dimitri slowly tried to hide his binder away from view but she burst out laughing. 

“N-no! It’s—Let me see.” Grinning, she leaned over to grab it but he lifted it above his head. 

“Reus please, it’s so embarrassing now that I think about it—” 

“You’ve already bragged about it. Now let me see!” She just had to see what he had gathered about her in his colour tab coded binder. “I have to make sure you didn’t write creepy stuff about my sister.” Byleth stood on her knees to reach above Dimitri’s head, who then held it to his side away from them. 

“So you  _ did _ write creepy stuff about her?” Byleth smirked at him. “Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, I’m disappointed!”

“What? Never! I— Hey—!” When he was distracted by her comment, she snatched the binder and flipped it open to a random page, it was all neatly typed and printed in colour. One of the bullet points that caught her attention read: 

‘ _ The most mesmerizing smile I have ever laid eyes upon.’ _

Byleth looked up at Dimitri who was hovering over her trying to seize his binder back, but he stopped when he saw her expression. She tried to hold back her smile but then couldn’t help and let herself smile at him. 

She was completely lost in his eyes when the bus abruptly stopped, jerking her sideways, and Dimitri’s muscular arms were wrapped around her torso before she fell out of her seat. 

“Sorry!” the bus driver called out, “That darn cat jumped out of nowhere!”

Dimitri released her and she shoved the binder at him. “You can have this back—b-before I toss it out, it’s… I don’t want to see your weird fantasies about my sister.” Byleth shook her head and leaned back on the window, hiding her blushing face with one hand. 

“Sorry,” Dimitri mumbled and gingerly returned his ‘Miss Byleth Eisner’ binder back into his bag. 

They sat in silence the rest of the bus trip. The thing Byleth knew, Dimitri was gently shaking her to wake up. She groggily stumbled out the bus and pulled her phone out for directions. They weren’t standing in front of some cheap backpackers hotel, in fact it was quite a nice looking boutique hotel. 

“How is he affording this?” Byleth said a little too loud to herself.

Dimitri, who was stretching his neck to look up at the nameplate, looked at her. “I’m sorry?” 

“I said how is  _ she  _ affording this.” Byleth shook her head as they walked into the lobby. “Do you mind waiting here? I’m going to check on her. It’s uh, her first date so…”

“Of course.” Dimitri immediately sat himself onto a nearby plush sofa. 

She took a lift and bashed her head against the door,  _ This is really happening. I can’t believe this is real, oh my goddess my first date and I’m lying to him—  _ The lift door opened and a stranger stepped in. She straightened herself while still cringing, praying this whole date would go well. 

Byleth knocked on the door, a topless and slightly annoyed Reus answered. 

“About time you got here,” he said, shutting the door behind her. 

“What happened to the backpackers’ hotel?” She tossed her bag aside and removed the hoodie she was wearing, which was much too warm for the town, despite the cool autumn weather. It was much colder up on the mountain their school was built on.

“Well, the old people I went on tour with today liked me so much they asked me to stay in the spare room they had. One of their friends had emergency hip surgery but their room was already paid for and it was too late to cancel. So here I am,” Reus replied, his arms spread out. 

“Right. So, where are my clothes?” Reus pulled out three different dresses from the wardrobe and laid it on the bed for her. 

“Wow, I didn’t expect you to be so generous with your choices.” 

“It was a buy three for— anyway, I even got you this boob-tube-bra-thing to go with your dresses.” He handed her a black bag. “The bra shop lady thinks I’m weird and I’ve accepted it. I’m going to go take a dump, so you just do your thing.”

There were only actually two dresses that Reus got her; a strappy short, jumpsuit and a little black cotton dress with a neckline that would otherwise be fine on a regular-chested woman. Though, her being well-endowed made the dress into one with a plunging neckline instead. She pursed her lips as she decided between the two. It was also nice of him to throw in a complimenting denim jacket, just in case. 

“Oh I forgot, I got you shoes as well!” her brother yelled from the bathroom. 

She chose the black dress and as she squeezed herself into the dress, her brother came out to grab the clothes she wore on her way here. 

“How does it fit— Whoa, good thing I got you that jacket eh?” Reus nodded at her cleavage. “Why didn’t you choose the other one?” 

“That’s a jumpsuit, it’s going to be hard to pee and stuff,” Byleth stuck a hand inside the low cut dress to further adjust its fit against her chest. The bra was slightly too small but at least it covered most of  _ it _ . 

“What? Just whip out your— Oh right. You’re not a guy.” Reus snickered. “Get it, get it?” 

She rolled her eyes at him. 

A good 15 minutes later in the lobby, as she exited the elevator she saw Dimitri sitting as straight as a board right where she left him, however he was almost completely obscured by the unusually large bouquet of roses in his hands. 

“Oh Goddess.” Reus muttered under his breath. 

She nudged him. “Be nice.” 

“B-Byleth! Hi! Um, you look...” Dimitri blushed furiously as he kept his eyes on hers. “You look amazing.” Now Byleth didn’t know where to put her face. 

“Thanks, I had help choosing this.” She threw Reus a side glance. 

“Here.” Dimitri handed her the large bouquet of roses. It even had a small teddy bear in the middle. Byleth looked down as she sniffed the flowers and mumbled a soft ‘thanks’.

“I booked a restaurant for the three of us. I-I hope it’s to your liking.” Dimitri gestured towards the door. “Actually Sylvain suggested it and I’m not sure if it’s a good idea now.” 

“I’m sure Sylvain’s recommendation must be good, judging by how many girls he’s—” She quickly elbowed her brother in the ribs. “R-Reus, you said something like that, right?” 

“Oh yeah, Sylvain totally. Cool dude. So cool.” Reus blurted out without thinking. Byleth shot him a glare. “I-I mean, not. Cool.” When Dimitri wasn’t looking, the twins stared at each other, gesturing angrily.

“Despite his skirt-chasing ways,” Dimitri said, his tone disapproving, “We’re still working on that— I must admit he’s quite knowledgeable in this area.” Dimitri turned to them and the twins ceased immediately. Awkward grins plastered on their faces. Dimitri smiled back, extending his arm out the entrance. “Shall we?” 

Byleth fidgeted in her seat across from Dimitri, occasionally glancing at the elegant plates, polished cutlery on its sides, crystal wine glasses and the glittering chandelier hanging in the middle of the room. Just the hushed conversations and soft classical music would’ve been enough to indicate how luxurious this establishment was. 

Not only was she inappropriately dressed, the meals were ridiculously expensive for teenagers like them. She sucked in a breath at the number of digits following each exquisitely named dish. A part of her regretted not checking when Sylvain had recommended this place with enthusiasm, saying that he came here often. How was he affording this? Dimitri didn’t seem at all bothered by how posh this place was either. 

There were so many things she didn’t know about Dimitri. It came as no surprise. She peeked at him from behind the menu. Besides his usual looks, his suit looked tailor-made to perfection. Even his necktie looked of the best quality. It was probably true then; students at Garreg Mach were rich kids who didn’t need the sponsorship at all.

“Please order anything you like, this meal is on me,” Dimitri said to the both of them. “And I am aware of how much nutrition you need as well Reus, please do not hesitate to order as much as you need.” 

“Yes Dimitri,” Reus eyed Byleth for a split second. “I  _ have _ been eating so much haven’t I? Must be all the training.” 

Byleth smiled nervously at Dimitri as she stepped on Reus’s foot. 

True to his reputation, Reus shamelessly ordered many things on the menu while Byleth stuck to merely ordering an appetizer and a main course. Noting she was going to be hungry later.

“How’s your investigation going?” She leaned forward. “You mentioned interviewing people. Any progress?” 

“I have actually, and I intend to give you a list of information that I am currently gathering when it’s completed. Please rest assured.” Dimitri gave her a reassuring smile. “How has Garreg Mach been treating you?” 

“It’s a uh.” She gulped. “It’s surprisingly an active little town,” she blurted, remembering what Dimitri mentioned on the bus. 

“It’s very charming—I especially love the museum. Have you visited it yet?” 

She shook her head and his face lit up.

“Ah, very good!” He inched closer and spoke in a quiet voice bubbling with excitement, “I have procured tickets for a special exhibition tonight. It’s about the War of the Eagle and Lion. A historic battle—”

“Wait, what?” Reus who was texting, suddenly interrupted, “You’re taking your date to a museum?” he said in disbelief and amusement. 

“Oh, is this not appropriate? Based on my research, I thought this would be a good way to introduce Garreg Mach and at the same time further her interest in weaponry,” Dimitri said carefully.

“It’s fine! I-I love museums.” Byleth kicked Reus under the table. 

Reus looked at her in astonishment, slightly wincing. “You do? How come I’ve never seen you visit one before, then?” 

Her gaze hardened at her brother. “I just haven’t had the time or the opportunity.” 

“I’m sorry if it’s not to your liking, I can always—”

“No, I would  _ love _ to.” She unconsciously placed a hand on his, but quickly pulled away when Reus cleared his throat. 

Self-control was evidently proving more difficult than she’d anticipated.

Thankfully their meals arrived before Reus could make a fuss and Byleth set herself to focus on the scrumptious meal placed before her. However it struck her as odd that Reus cleared his throat whenever she put something in her mouth, that she looked up at him the first couple of times. When he caught her eye, he mouthed something she couldn’t quite decipher, and ignored him. Then he started coughing and his face started to flush when one of his further attempts went wrong. 

“Reus! Try to breathe—I’ll fetch some water.” Dimitri quickly left the table while onlookers whispered amongst themselves, watching the spectacle.

“I’m— _ cough _ —okay.” Reus hammered his chest. “Stop eating— _ wheeze _ —like me.”

“What?” Byleth bent closer while soothing his back. “I don’t—”

“Eat like a lady, dammit. You’re eating like a man.” Reus took a deep breath. “Dimitri can’t keep his eyes off you.” 

“Here.” They both looked up at Dimitri refilling Reus’ glass, who then drained it in one go. 

Colour drained from her face. Now that they were left with dessert, she wished she had listened to Reus’ indecipherable signals. So much for impressing Dimitri with elegance. He probably couldn’t stop staring because she looked like a tramp eating. 

She shook her head and sighed. 

“Is… something the matter?” Dimitri’s brows were furrowed. “Is  Saghert and Cream not to your liking?” 

“N-no! It’s great, really great. Much,  _ much _ better than the one we have back in school—!”

“You’ve had Saghert and Cream in our school cafeteria before?” he asked and looked as if he was trying to recall something. 

“Oh! Um, Reus said, uh—” She kicked her brother under the table. Reus sputtered.

“Yeah, I mean for the price, it _ better _ be good.” He smiled sheepishly and awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, hopefully deflecting the situation. “Is it possible for you to get a refund on my ticket for the uh, museum?” 

Byleth looked at Reus in panic, she didn’t want him around for the date at first, but she also didn’t trust herself to be alone with Dimitri. Not after she had let herself touch his hand. This was all overwhelming. One could say that dates were not her forte, whatmore this was her first date. 

“You’re not joining us?” Dimitri looked surprised.

“Nah, I’m not a museum-person.” Byleth didn’t expect that. As far as she knew, Reus enjoyed history as well, even though he didn’t seem the type. Maybe he wanted to give them some time alone, or maybe he felt awkward tagging along on his sister’s date. 

She snorted to herself. Yeah, that was probably it. 

“Anyway, it’s not often we get a night out on a weekday, right?” Reus grinned. “Hey, could you give my ticket to Ashe? He said he wanted to see the exhibition.” 

“He did?” Byleth and Dimitri said simultaneously, and she was puzzled, if she didn’t hear anything about it before, how would Reus know? 

“He said so in the group chat,” Reus replied. 

_ Oh right.  _

“I don’t mean to be rude, but could I just check a couple of messages?” Dimitri asked, and she nodded. He pulled out his phone and after a few seconds his face turned red. She couldn’t tell the expression he had as he typed out a response. She peeked at her brother’s phone and let out a discreet snort.

**TIMESTAMP: TUESDAY 6.45PM**

**GROUP CHAT NAME: BLUE LIONS FTW SUCK IT**

Reus: guys he’s taking her to a museum lol

Sylvain: ew

Dedue: A wise choice. As it is educating and it offers them a peaceful environment to bond. 

Sylvain: its for old ppl and nerds

Sylvain: dimtri

Sylvain: dimiet

Sylvain: *dimiri

Sylvain: *DIMITRI 

Sylvain: don’t take her to a museum u weirdo wats wrong witchu 

Reus:  she agreed to it tho 

Sylvain: omg wat

Ashe: oh man, they have a special weapons exhibition i wanted to see 

Sylvain: dimiTRI U CANT SMOOCH IN A MUSUEAM

Reus: lol if he smooches my sister ill punch him

Sylvain: lmao record i wanna see

Sylvain: DIMITRI KISS HER 

Reus: -.- 

Reus: dude

Sylvain: DIMITRI STOP IGNORING ME 

Sylvain: reus wat r they doing

**FELIX HAS LEFT THE CHAT**

Sylvain: wtf fleix come back

Reus: eating

**SYLVAIN ADDED FELIX TO THE CHAT**

Sylvain: hey why u leave

Sylvain: *did

Felix: this stupid group is too noisy and by group i mean you 

Sylvain: aww bb dont b mad  ***KISS EMOJI***

**FELIX HAS LEFT THE CHAT**

**SYLVAIN ADDED FELIX TO THE CHAT**

Felix: stop spamming or you’ll be shitting microchips out for a week when I shove  your phone down your throat.

**TIMESTAMP: 7.30PM**

Dimitri: I will do no such thing. Reus, you can trust me.

At the end of dinner Dimitri attempted to pay the bill with a shiny gold credit card, which was declined. 

“That’s odd,” Dimitri said, and urged the waiter to try again. It was declined, again. With his brows knitted, he pulled out what looked like a debit card which to his relief, was accepted. 

“Call me when you’re done,” Reus yelled, doing the ‘I’m watching you’ gesture as he disappeared in the opposite direction, holding her massive bouquet as a favour. 

Byleth gripped the edges of her denim jacket, panic setting in. She had been alone with Dimitri before but it was different now that she felt  _ something  _ for him, however fast it was happening. 

They walked along a lake towards the museum in silence.

“I...have to confess something,” Dimitri spoke suddenly. Byleth looked at him in alarm, her heart nearly stopped and she held her breath. “I have actually been to this exhibit before.” She let go of the breath she was holding in a shaky exhale. 

“R-Really? When?” She looked up at him. Byleth didn’t recall him going out while she was around. 

“About two weeks ago, during the holidays before school started. I’m extremely drawn to this exhibition for some reason.”  _ Ah, that made sense.  _

“Wow, it’s that good, huh?” 

The moon shone brightly in the sky, lighting their path. It was a shame the stars were obscured by clouds because Dimitri looked radiant, like a prince almost. 

“Well yes, I suppose. They have replicas and even the original soldiers’ uniforms. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it’s all quite well done.” He said, rather pleased. She could see the excitement in his eyes when she looked up at him. 

“I can’t wait.” She meant it. 

Dimitri smiled. “We’re here.” He gestured at a surprisingly large colonial-looking building for such a small town. 

“I hope you’ll find my company sufficient,” Dimitri suddenly said after they scanned their tickets at the entrance. 

“I’m sorry?” 

“As in”— he scratched his cheek —“I hope you find me enough to take you on this tour, instead of relying on a tour guide.”

“Oh, definitely! You look the part, anyway—with the blazer and tie.” She giggled. “Sorry.” 

She was expecting him to protest, but he merely looked at her with curiosity in his blue eyes. “Your laugh—it’s oddly familiar and yet… I can’t help but feel drawn to it.” 

She clapped a hand over her mouth. If she wasn’t careful he would figure out the truth too soon. 

“Forgive me,” he said and she shook her head. 

Dimitri led them through various rooms with different projections and replicas, all the while explaining in full detail of battles throughout the ages. She never realised how much joy it was to watch someone be so serious and passionate about something, that she couldn’t help but secretly smile whenever he told of some backstory, or how he admired the strategist during the battle—lost in his wonderful world. 

How colourful his world must be.

Time flew by and before she knew it, they were in the last room. There were hardly anyone around, except for a couple. 

“And this… is Areadbhar,” Dimitri said solemnly as they stopped in front of a strange but menacing-looking lance. 

_ ‘Originally wielded by Blaiddyd, one of the Ten Elites who fought in the War of Heroes. It was passed down the Royal Family of Faerghus and according to various accounts, it was also wielded by King Dimitri against the Empire in 1186.’ _

Byleth’s eyes widened and looked between Dimitri and the plaque. 

“I know what you’re thinking.” He chuckled. “I was named after this King Dimitri. It’s a coincidence, I promise.” 

“I see. So, you  _ do _ learn new things when you’re in a museum.” She smiled. “It kinda makes sense now, why your name sounded so familiar.” 

“Well, there are many Blaiddyds in the continent now. It’s not a surprise if I share the same name with a few people.” 

“I hope I don’t mix you up with your… name-twins, then.” 

Dimitri chuckled again. 

“Then—” He stopped suddenly and turned around, and there was a little boy tugging at the edge of his blazer.

“H-have… you seen my mama?” The child was on the verge of tears. Dimitri looked around, and Byleth noticed the two people who were in the room with them had gone. 

Dimitri crouched down and patted the child’s head. 

“Hello, what’s your name?” 

“D-di-dimitri,” the little boy spluttered. Byleth was in complete awe at the number of coincidences she was discovering in a single night.

“Hello, my name is Dimitri too,” he said, smiling. 

“I-I-I want my mama.” The boy squatted and promptly started sobbing. 

Dimitri looked up at her. “Do you think we should stay here until his mother comes, or take him to the reception?” 

“I didn’t see him when we came in, so he probably wandered in from somewhere else. I think taking him to the reception might be a better idea.” 

Little Dimitri had fat tears rolling down his plump cheeks now. 

“Very well. Dimitri, can you walk? I think I know where to find your mother.” The bigger Dimitri said, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the boy’s eyes. 

“M-mama.” Little Dimitri called out as he grabbed Big Dimitri’s collar. Byleth looked around again and jogged to the entrance of the previous room to see if there was anyone. 

“There’s nobody here, I don’t think he could’ve been gone for long from his mother. Come on, let’s get him to the reception.” 

Big Dimitri picked up the crying little boy with ease and set him on the side of his hip as if he’d done it a thousand times before. 

As Byleth walked behind him, something came over her as she watched Dimitri carry the child in his arms. Her heart thumped hard against her ribcage; she felt giddy and had to lay a hand over it to calm herself. She couldn’t help imagining a future where Dimitri was carrying their child so naturally like he just did. 

“Byleth?” Dimitri’s voice pulled her back to reality and she realised they were ahead of her. She shook her head free of the vision and quickly caught up with them. 

Being in the final room of the exhibit, they emerged into the reception area and saw a couple speaking frantically at the front desk. 

“Excuse me,” Dimitri called out, “Is this your child? I believe his name is—”

“Mama!” The little boy looked up from Dimitri’s shoulder and wriggled himself out of Dimitri’s arms and ran to the woman. 

“Oh, Dimitri!” the mother cried and immediately pulled her son into a tight embrace. The father took them both into his arms and kissed the boy’s head before turning to them and thanking them profusely. 

“It’s nothing,” Dimitri said with a smile. “I’m glad we could help.” 

As soon as the parents said their goodbyes, Byleth texted Reus their location. It was already close to 10pm, yet there were still people in the area. 

“Reus says he’ll meet us at the restaurant we ate in,” Byleth said, keeping her phone away.

Silence.

“I—” they both said together, then laughed.

“Please, you first.” Dimitri gestured to her. Byleth seemed to ponder for a moment before the smallest of smiles curled on her lips.

“Shall we walk?” 

There were many firsts for Dimitri tonight—first date, first time buying roses for a lady, first unofficial museum tour guide. He was glad to add ‘strolling under the moonlit night on a date’ to the list. 

As they walked side by side, their hands kept brushing and they kept bumping shoulders. It took Dimitri every ounce of power in his body to stop himself from holding her hand, or stare at her too much while they chatted casually. 

It was quite the achievement, for someone lacking experience with girls. He even managed to hold a few conversations with her without blushing himself to death. Here was something to brag about to Sylvain when this was over so the skirt-chaser would get off his back.

As they neared the restaurant, Dimitri led them to a bench to wait for Reus without holding her hand, which disappointed him if he was being honest. 

“It is a lovely night, is it not?” he said, looking up at the sky. It had been a lovely one for him at least, despite the little credit card hiccup. He was so transfixed by the way Byleth ate during dinner, her laughter, and even the way she quarrelled with Reus was captivating. This made him wonder why he even had doubts about his feelings for her in the first place.

What was odd, was supposedly how he felt _ something _ for Reus, evident during the bus ride when they had that little moment. But when they brushed hands on the way to the restaurant, Dimitri felt nothing. 

“It’s been a very… eventful one,” Byleth replied, “I’m so glad we helped that little boy. And his name was Dimitri too. That’s just mind blowing.” 

“I did tell you I’m not the only one named Dimitri.” 

“You’re right.” She giggled. Then pointed to his shoulder as she gasped. There was a wet spot where the boy had rested his head. “It’s got… snot on it.” She let out a laugh. 

Dimitri craned his head to check while she took out a packet of tissue from her jacket pocket, and scooted closer to try and wipe it off. He kept his eyes fixed on her as she scrubbed the wet spot but to no avail. The tissue had begun flaking on the fabric. Her expression was neutral except for a tiny wrinkle between her brows. Even that looked adorable. He sighed. 

“I’m sorry, I seem to have made it worse,” she said, dusting the rolled-up tissue particles off his shoulder. 

“Please do not worry. It’ll come off. It’s nothing the school’s dry cleaners can’t fix,” Dimitri said casually. When he saw how earnestly she was still trying to correct her mistake, he felt this need to rub the crease off her forehead and worse, the longer she lingered in his personal space, the more he was losing control over himself. 

“Ah, it still won’t come off—” She looked up at him and he caught her gaze. Her big eyes glanced down at his lips, and he did the same. Every fibre of his being was desperate to pull her in and taste her soft lips. 

His body started leaning towards her, but dread stopped him when he recalled the promise he made to Reus. His heart danced wildly and the pulse in his ears deafening. He was sure she could hear it too. When she didn’t move and when her lips were slightly parted, the last strand of control Dimitri had left his body.

He went for it against his better judgement. Closing his eyes he pressed his lips on hers. He felt her stiffen at first, but then relaxed. Blackberries and vanilla, were the two things that came to his mind. She moved in closer. Time seemed to have come to stand still, as though the universe was blessing them with their own private moment of bliss. That was until he felt his entire body being wrenched from the kiss and a fist made contact with his chin. 

The next thing Dimitri saw when he opened his eyes was a bouquet of ruined roses on the ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!! Phew! I am so sorry I don't update here much since I mainly write on a blog!! This was one of my favourite chapters to write XDXD and i still dont know how to use AO3 properly so if you see any weird mistakes or Inconsistencies im sorry HAHAH 
> 
> By the way!! The final chapter for this season is up on my blog, please be warned its 40 pages long!! Link here -> https://geeknabe.com/fanfiction/everything-changes-but-you-season-1/11/
> 
> If everything goes well, season 2 will be out in 2021, and if it already has by the time you read this, THEN I HOPE YOU ENJOYYYYYYYYY!!! and thank you for reading as usual!
> 
> also, I always reply and check AO3 regularly for comments and questions, but if you need to reach me, here's my twitter!! https://twitter.com/_marichanx

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Thank you thank you thank you so much for reading this! I haven’t written anything in about almost 10 years but felt the absolute urge to write for Fire Emblem Three Houses! I also enjoy cliche and will try to insert it as much as I can XD 
> 
> Also please kiss your beta readers and editors, I couldn't have done it without mine Asdfgjkl 
> 
> I originally posted this on my blog https://geeknabe.com/fanfiction/everything-changes-but-you/ to practice writing, but a few people have encouraged me to post it here, so here it is!! I will update ao3 often but if you want the more recent chapters, please click on that link ^_^


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